Lorena J. Byrd

Lorena J. Byrd

Primghar, Iowa

            Services for Lorena J. Byrd, age 88, of Primghar who passed away on Tuesday, February 15, 2023, at Prairie View Home in Sanborn.  Her funeral service will be 11:00 A.M. on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at Primghar Church of Christ with Pastor Mike Cooper ~ officiating.

            Burial will be at a later date at the Byrd Family Cemetery in Baywood, Virginia.

            Visitation with family present will be from 10:00 A.M. until the service on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at the church.

            Arrangements are under the care of the Eldridge Family Funeral Home in Primghar.

     Lorena June Byrd, beloved mom and grandma and dear friend to many, passed away on Feb 15, 2023, at the age of 88. She will be remembered for her kind, generous spirit, and enthusiasm for life. She lived her life striving to be “all in for God” and serving others as a reflection of her love for her Heavenly Father and His Church.

     Lorena was born to Elmer and June (Mundabaugh) Stofferan on July 29, 1934, in Sheldon, Iowa. She was the eldest of three sisters, Wanda (McCord) and Paula (Ricker). She graduated from Sheldon High School in 1952. After one year at Minnesota Bible College, Lorena transferred to Milligan College where she graduated in 1956 with a degree in Social Studies. At Milligan, she met the love of her life, John Byrd. The two were married in 1958 in Ville d’Avray, France, while John was serving in the U.S. army. The couple returned to Johnny’s hometown, Galax, Virginia where they taught school and ministered with the Locust Grove Church of Christ. Their four children were born in Galax as well.

     John and Lorena spent the next four decades working as teachers and church leaders in Le Mars, IA; Dickson, TN; Villa Park, IL. and in 1979, the couple moved to Seoul, Korea where they spent 20 years working at Seoul Foreign School. Lorena taught Social Studies and IB Psychology at SFS and influenced the lives of countless students. During this time, she studied for a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

     In 1999, John and Lorena returned to Primghar, Iowa. Lorena retired from teaching. She cared for her mother, June Stofferan, and served as a Sunday School teacher/Youth Worker at the Church of Christ.

     Lorena’s passions in life were raising her four children and one grandson and serving those around her. She loved reading, her cats, and traveling the world. She enjoyed puzzles, paper dolls, European history, and Italian architecture. She was blessed with the ability to hold a conversation with anyone and to make friends with whomever she met.

     Lorena is survived by her sister Wanda (David) McCord and sister-in-law Francis (Willard) Chappell; her four children, Allen (Myounghee) Byrd of Wheaton, IL, Stephen Byrd of Primghar, IA, June (James Milliken) of Seoul, Korea, and Rose (Dave) Gifford of Berthoud, CO. She is also survived by nine grandchildren: Matthew, John, James (Christina), Calvin (Maria), Mattie (Jordan), Michal, Kendra, Paige, and Mercy, and two great grandchildren Elias and Thomas.

     She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her sister Paula, her daughter-in-law Pang Won and her parents-in-law, Rose, and Walter Byrd. Lorena will be buried next to her husband John in the Byrd family cemetery in Baywood, Virginia.