Obituary

Lorinne Anne Staker passed away March 4, 2025, at Banner Desert Medical Center, in Mesa Arizona after a battle with pneumonia. Lorinne was born February 2, 1931 in Perry, Iowa to Martin and Mable Maxwell. She graduated from Perry High School in Perry, Iowa. Lorinne fell in love and was married to Joe Staker on October 31, 1949. Joe passed away on December 23, 1998.

As a couple, Lorinne and Joe were an inseparable team. Together they settled in Woodward, Iowa, and had four children, Margaret, Mary, Martha and Larry. Lorinne worked at Woodward State Hospital for nearly 40 years. She worked in a variety of capacities with people with intellectual disabilities and the blind. She was a proud union member at AFSCME. As their children grew and became adults, Lorinne and Joe were model grandparents, being present and involved in all aspects of their families. Lorinne and Joe were loved in their community and their church. She was a staunch Democrat and had a lifelong interest in politics. Lorinne and Joe had a number of close friends throughout the years and they loved to play cards and socialize.

Lorinne enjoyed arts and crafts and was a member of the Iowa Gourd Society. She was a thrifter and loved a good garage sale. She also loved to travel with her husband. Once they retired, they continued to travel all over, having fantastic adventures together in virtually every corner of the country. Eventually they started spending winters together in Apache Junction, Arizona. After Joe passed, Lorinne continued to adventure throughout the world. She also continued traveling to Arizona each winter, making a number of dear friends there. She loved to have her family visit her in Arizona and do things with them. She was always up for an adventure and she remained active until her death. A little-known fact about Lorinne is she set a world record for annihilating a rack of ribs.1 Lorinne also had a huge heart. She gave to her church and a number of charities over the years. She was a huge supporter of the Walsh Ride Against Cancer.

Those left to cherish her memory are Lorinne’s children: Martha and Bob Francis of Pueblo West, and Larry Staker of Boulder, her grandchildren: John (Dana) Walsh of Des Moines, Joe (Venus) Walsh of Des Moines, Mike (Krista) Walsh of Urbandale and Jenny Walsh (Will Kellogg) of Des Moines; Angela Bassett (Chad Donat) of Colorado Springs; Heather Bassett of Waukee, Sarah (Jamie) Thomaschefsky of Crandon, Wisconsin; Megan (Steve) Lemke of Colorado Springs; Chris Francis of Union; Nathan (Melody) Mitchell of Woodward; Amber (Russell) Lark of Des Moines; Gracia (AJ) Abrahamsen of Winterset; Rachel Wicks of Urbandale; great grandchildren: John Paul and Rose Walsh, Ethan Myles, Safiyah Grace, Jackson, Gabrielle and Apollo Walsh, Katey Walsh, Jessie Gates, Dylan and Sawyer Kellogg, Bradley Gates and Michael Walsh; Kaelen Bassett, Quinn Donat, Michaela Bassett, Amelia and Blake Thomaschefsky; Emma and Charlie Lemke; Tessa, Lexi, Ollie and Remi Abrahamsen; Cabrilla, William, Sam and Eddie Francis, Michael and Charizma Michael and Ty Wicks; and her four great great-grandchildren: Kat and Maggie Walsh-Daily, Caylee Mills and Azariah Walsh. Lorinne is preceded in death by her loving husband, Edward Joseph “Joe” Staker, her daughters, Margaret Ellen Walsh and Mary Wicks, her son-in-law, John Walsh, Sr., her sister, Margaret Caldwell, her brother-in-law, Ben Caldwell, and her great granddaughter, Ariana.

Services will be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Perry, Iowa on April 5, 2025, at 10 a.m. with a luncheon directly after. A celebration of life for her friends in the Apache Junction area shall be held at Paradise Park clubhouse on March 23, 2025, at 5 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed to the Walsh Ride Against Cancer: https://bit.ly/WRAC2025

(1) Guinness World Records. (2012). New York: Jim Pattison Group.