Catherine Lorraine Mulvihill, age 85, of Champlin, Minnesota, formerly of Mendota Heights, passed away surrounded by family on Friday, August 13, 2021.

Lorraine was born on May 15, 1936 in Litchfield, Minnesota to Victor and Evelyn (O’Keefe) Davis. She grew up in the Champlin area and graduated from Anoka High School with the class of 1955. Lorraine was united in marriage to Bill Mulvihill on February 4, 1956 at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in Anoka; and the couple were blessed with five children.

Through the years Lorraine and her family lived in Alaska (when it was a territory), Kansas, and Colorado, before returning to Minnesota. Her fondest memories are of time with family on a hobby farm in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she sold eggs, milk and cream. She often reminisced about the life they had there, and especially enjoyed visiting Estes Park and Loveland.

With five children, the kitchen was always busy. Lorraine did a lot of cooking, and truly enjoyed creating meals and hosting holiday and birthday parties. With a limited budget, she had to stretch the dollar, and often said “you can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”, and that she did! Her skills in the kitchen and caring for others led her to a position cooking at The Convent of the Visitation in Mendota Heights. Her time spent cooking with, and for, the nuns was a special memory. Lorraine was faithful and always had God in her heart. In her younger years, she shared her faith by teaching religion at St. Peter’s Catholic school, where her children attended grade school.

Lorraine enjoyed using her creativity to paint with oils and acrylics on canvas and windows, and compiled and illustrated a cookbook with her mom’s recipes. She enjoyed gardening, canning the vegetables she grew, and sharing them with family. She was an accomplished seamstress; upholstered furniture, and made clothing for her family. She also enjoyed bird watching, playing scrabble, boggle, and working the Prizeword Pete crossword puzzle, always hopeful to win the big money.

Lorraine was a very strong, independent, smart and practical woman, and self-taught in everything she did (before Google, Pinterest or the internet!). She figured out how things worked and could fix anything. She would use her creativity and humor, once using a toilet plunger to take a dent out of a car!

Family was the biggest and most important part of life for Lorraine. She had her hands full with five kids, and did a great job, obviously! She was the “cool mom” that her children’s friends liked to sit around the kitchen table with, that would “help” her kids with homework, and that would cover-up for her kids so they wouldn’t get in trouble, like “fixing” the dent in the car. She enjoyed making and decorating her grandchildren’s birthday cakes, and would give away her last dollar to someone in need. She loved to hear about what was going on in her children and grandchildren’s lives; “So, what’s going on in your life?” She was truly interested, and was happiest when her family was happy.

A person (especially her kids) would be hard pressed to get anything past Lorraine. She was quick witted, and shared her thoughts with blunt honesty and a colorful language. She never minced words! Many people found her humor to be funny, and it could shock the best of them, including her grandchildren. They got a kick out of their grandma.

But mostly, Lorraine was faithful and always had God in her heart.

Until we are together again, Lorraine will remain in the hearts of her children, RoAnn (Dan) Wann, Marcia (Mike) Groetsch, Kelly (John) Bjerkeng, Doug (Shelly) Mulvihill, and Duane Mulvihill; grandchildren, Stacy (Kevin) Billingslea, Jim Groetsch, Patrick (Laura) Groetsch, Clayton Kahmeyer, Ryan Furlong, MacKenzie (Tom) Siemers, Cory (Kailey) Bjerkeng, Samantha Mulvihill, and Victoria Mulvihill; great grandchildren, Phoebe and Heathe Billingslea, Josie and Gracie Groetsch, and Bryson Siemers; sister-in-law Patty Davis; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by grandson, Kenny Bjerkeng; parents, Victor and Evelyn Davis; siblings and siblings in-law, Jack and Mary Davis, Dick and Jeanne Davis, Delores and Donny Chapman, Beverly and Bill Smith, Shirley and Dale Corbin, Bob Davis, Donald Davis; and former husband Bill Mulvihill.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, August 25th at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 1405 Sibley Memorial Hwy, Mendota, MN. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights, MN.