Lorrie LoAnn Holloway, 66, of Wamego, Kansas. died Monday, April 18, 2022, at the Wamego, Kansas Hospital.
Born on March 31, 1956 at a hospital in Salina, Kansas, Lorrie grew up in Minneapolis, Kansas, the only child of her loving parents, Clifford and Loretta (Schur) Kibler. She graduated from Minneapolis High School in 1974.
After completing the courses for Office Education from the Manhattan Vo-Tech College in 1975, she joined the K-State family as a clerk for K-State Research and Extension in June of 1975. Four years later she married her husband, Morris “Tip” Holloway, Jr., on April 21, 1979.
Lorrie and Tip’s family grew with the birth of their two sons -- Jeremy in 1980 and Kasey in 1982. During the boys’ younger days, Tip’s sister Wanda lived with them and cared for the boys while Lorrie and Tip were at work. As a result, the boys and Lorrie were all very close with Wanda and she was a stable influence in their lives as well.
In 1979, Lorrie joined K-State’s Department of Aerospace Studies as the Senior Administrative Assistant. She was featured in a 2007 article in the K-Statement. The article stated she was “Dedicated to the students” and “enjoys working in a ”family-oriented department”. She was called “Mrs. H” by the hundreds of students commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the United States Air Force and the many officers and staff members who passed through the department. Col. Randy O’Boyle, K-State professor of Aerospace Studies at the time, referred to her “as a legendary force in Air Force ROTC at K-State” The article went on to say that during the 31 years she worked at K-State, she had “worked with 9 different department heads, and 27 assistant professors”. She continued working at the Department of Aerospace Studies until her retirement.
Mrs. H used her sense of humor to develop a rapport with many of her students, but she would become “the Dragonlady” on days when official decorum was of utmost necessity, and someone forgot to remove their flight cap before entering “her building”. Many of her former students would return to see her or kept in touch via Facebook.
In 1985, her younger cousin Val, came to K-State as a freshman and Lorrie took her under her wing -- playing chauffeur, friend, and confidant as well as a role model when Val was offered the student position of Supply Custodian for AFROTC. The two spent the next 4 years fitting future USAF officers with uniforms and passing IG inspections with Mrs. H’s usual perfect ratings. Val returned to Manhattan to work full-time at K-State in 1992 and Lorrie, Tip and their boys “adopted her” as did the grandkids, nieces and nephews as they met Val (although the younguns were, and still are, never quite sure how to explain the relationship because she was “just Val”).
While watching those “kids” grow into USAF officers, her family grew by 2 granddaughters - MaKayla in 2003 and Alexis in 2005.
Lorrie was “Aunt Lorrie” to a huge group of nieces and nephews from Tip’s side of the family and the Holloway home was “the place to be” in the summer. Even though one of her favorite phrases was “you know, I hate kids don’t you?”, they all knew that was really her way of telling them that they were loved, welcomed, and accepted at the home she and Tip shared in Wamego. This love and acceptance resulted in that generation being a close-knit group even with a 20+ year difference amongst them.
After her mother’s death in 2007, Lorrie was determined to retire while still in good health so she would be able to enjoy time with her grandchildren. She retired from K-State in 2008 and her grandson Kingstyn subsequently joined the family in 2009. The three grandkids were her pride and joy. Before COVID, they kept her busy with soccer, gymnastics, softball, and other school events as well as weekend trips to Manhattan to be spoiled, go shopping for groceries and lunch out somewhere. In her spare time, she was an avid reader, quilter, knitter, crocheter, embroiderer and played computer games or watched her favorite TV show, “Iron Chef” as well as spending time with her cats.
After the sudden death of Tip in 2017, Lorrie returned to work, initially as a part-time cashier at Dollar General in Wamego and then at Wal-Mart, continuing to use her good humor and wit to keep the customers coming back. Once it was determined that she would need to begin dialysis and started the process to be placed on the Kidney transplant list, Lorrie retired a second time in 2018. It was during her intake appointment for placement on the transplant list that Lorrie chose to be an organ and tissue donor through the Midwest Transplant Network.
Lorrie is survived by her sons, grandchildren and the many people whose lives she has touched but especially these groups of people:
The families of the host of nieces and nephews who spent summers with Uncle Tip and Aunt Lorrie: Chris Cease, Garnett Cease, Tammy Harris, Eric Holloway, Paige Volkel, Mindy Miller, Brian Hudson, Billie Cargal, Gary Holloway, Buddy Holloway, Ethan Holloway, Samantha Colson, Shane Bussart, Amber Bussart, Jeessica Imthurn and Crystal Vesta.
Tip’s remaining brothers and sisters: Wanda Tabb, Wendie Harris, Wendell Holloway and Toni Stiles.
Aunts and uncles from her mother’s side of the family: Tim Schur, Grace Lawrence, and Zoe Ann Schur.
Her cousins and their families: Angie Harris, Renee Schur, and Melissa Whittaker; Chris Lawrence; Liz Anderson, Donna Parks, Charlie Parks and Sandy Bennett, Vicki McKain and Valorie McKain.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband as well as several in-laws, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
The family will host a celebration of Lorrie's life on Saturday (June 4, 2022) at 1:00 p.m. at the Manhattan First Assembly of God Church, 2310 Candlewood Drive, Manhattan, KS. Friends are invited to attend.
In lieu of flowers donations to assist the family with finals expenses and the grandchildren’s education and activity fund can be made at https://gofund.me/92ed347d.