Lorraine Link

LINK, LORRAINE "DOTTIE"- Lorraine (Dottie) Link of Roswell, New Mexico, passed peacefully into the arms of her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, April 10, 2018. Lorraine had always clung tenaciously to life, weighing only a little more than two pounds at birth and surviving a ruptured and septic appendix in her fifties. The last few years of her life, Lorraine kept the staff at Brookdale Memory Care laughing and on their toes, even at 94.

Lorraine was born to Opal and Richard Wolfe in East St. Louis, IL on October 10, 1923. She and her husband, Jesse Link, moved to Roswell from Missouri in 1945, after Jesse returned from military service. Lorraine was a consummate homemaker and cook, and she kept herself entertained by carrying on long conversations with herself (or with one of her beloved dogs) as she worked diligently at home. Because her children were spread out over a twenty-year span, Lorraine stayed busy serving them and supporting Jesse's career. She was the last surviving member of her and Jesse's families' generation.

Lorraine was known for her fierce loyalty and unconditional love for Jesse (who passed away in 2004), and for her family of five children, fifteen grandchildren, and eighteen great-grandchildren. Her face lit up the room when she saw any of them, and her hearty laugh was contagious. And in this world of contention, she never spoke a harsh or mean-spirited word to her childrens' spouses. She was an easy woman to love.

She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law Bob (Tammy) Link of Roswell and Glen (Dana) Link of Dexter, NM, and by daughters and sons-in-law Debra (Jae) Evans of Oceanside, CA and Jamie (Brett) Baker of Las Cruces, NM. Son Michael Link predeceased her in 2002. Her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will sorely miss her. Some of the words they use to describe her include "a pillar of strength, spunky, quick and witty to the very end, gregarious, larger-than-life, tough and stubborn in the right ways, always smiling, and charismatic, yet unassuming." Her grandchildren note that she was always willing to cook anything you wanted, but, upon request, would graciously serve you fruit loops instead of the big breakfast she'd made for everyone else. Lorraine spoke her mind so that you always knew where you stood with her. She was the glue that held the family together through thick and thin.

The family wants to thank her physician, Mary Ann McGuire, and the staff at Brookdale for caring for her so compassionately during the past six years.

The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Lorraine's name to the Outside the Bowl Christian Ministry, P.O. Box 6193, Oceanside, California, 92052 (or online at www.outsidethebowl.org), which was founded ten years ago by Lorraine's children, Debra and Jae Evans. This ministry daily feeds thousands of the poor in several locations throughout the world, and was dear to Lorraine's heart.

Lorraine attended Christ's Church in Roswell. Her celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, April 14, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. in the sanctuary at Christ's Church, 2200 Sycamore, Roswell, NM. Interment will follow at South Park Cemetery with Pastor Lonnie Owens of Christ's Church officiating.

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