Lorraine Vanfleet Duckworth

Lorraine Vanfleet was born on November 15, 1951 to Earl Bay Vanfleet and Georgia Jean Vanfleet in Salt Lake City, UT.  She was the eldest of 8 children and was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Joe and Lynn Vanfleet. She passed away on April 21, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ. 

Lorraine is survived by her husband James Larry Duckworth, 5 daughters: Stephanie Smith, Lori Fitzgerald, Michelle Brimley (Bret), Dani Howe (Sally), Stacy Wells (Patrick) and step-children: Timothy Owens, Anjell Doesberg, Sharlise Duckworth, Jamie Duckworth and Michael Duckworth.  Siblings: Rene Michaeli (Eric), Jeanette Vanfleet, Jeff Vanfleet, Rachelle Ebell (Frank), Elyse Ipsen (Tadd), 18 grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. 

When she was only one month old, Lorraine was featured in the Salt Lake Tribune due to having so much hair that she was able to show off her ringlets.  In her teens she competed in the Miss Midvale pageant, enjoying the process with all her family. 

Lorraine was in the first graduating class of Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights, Utah and then attended BYU.  There, she met and married Noel Joseph Reynolds in 1972 and had five daughters.  They divorced in 1985. She married Edward Allen Jones in 1987.  Ed and Lorraine enjoyed traveling, skiing and ballroom dancing together.  Edward passed away in 1997. 

Lorraine met James Duckworth and they married in 2004 in Denver, Colorado. James and Lorraine loved traveling together, especially to visit new cities and enjoy great food.  They moved to Arizona in 2006 where she spent the last 17 years with James by her side.  

We all have fun memories of Lorraine, an incredible wife, mom, sister, grandmother, aunt, and friend.  She loved Halloween and rocked her homemade Wonder Woman costume for many years before passing the tradition down to Stacy and Paige.  Lorraine loved her family tradition of cooking pinto beans, chile verde, and roasting and freezing green chiles.  Lorraine also enjoyed making homemade noodles with her daughters.  Lorraines ability to cook something from nothing was incredible.  She also had an amazing ability to listen.  She was able to make every daughter and sister feel like they were her favorite.  To her daughters, she always made us feel beautiful and smart.  A gift we hope to pass on to all of her grandchildren. 

Lorraine was a great hostess, always having family visiting and cooking for them.  She shared everything she had with friends and family.  She loved having all her family together, where we would spend hours reminiscing and laughing.  Lorraine will be dearly missed by everyone who knew her, but we know her spirit will live on through all the people she loved. 

A Celebration of Lorraine’s life will be on Friday, May 26 from 6-8 PM at Stark Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East. Guests are encouraged to use parking and entrance at the north side of the building.