Lorraine Ruth Adkins

Mrs. Lorraine Ruth Adkins, age 88 years, of Jefferson City, Mo., passed away peacefully Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at home surrounded by her family. Lorraine was born June 11, 1928 in Chicago, Ill., the daughter of Ralph and Ruth Kennett Fenner. She was married on June 12, 1948 in Chicago, Ill., to John V. "Pete" Adkins. She graduated from Amundsen High School in Chicago, Ill. Lorraine and Pete moved to Jefferson City in 1958 when Pete was named the head football coach for the Jefferson City Jays. A tireless advocate for Jefferson City and the Jefferson City Public Schools, she devoted many hours in service to the city and her beloved Jefferson City Jays football team coached by her husband. While Coach Adkins will go down as one of most successful high school football coaches, none of it would have been possible without the love, sacrifice, and support of Lorraine. Lorraine was employed for 25 years as a real estate agent with Paul Kolb Real Estate Agency, Century 21 Real Estate Agency and retired from Gordon Real Estate Agency. A passionate supporter of our veterans, Lorraine started the "Wreaths for Heroes" project after experiencing the beauty of the wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery during Pete's "Honor Flight". She brought together a small group of people who were dedicated to honoring our veterans, and they raised funds to purchase artificial wreaths for each of the 1587 graves in the Jefferson City National Cemetery. Each year since 2010, Lorraine coordinated a group of volunteers to place wreaths on the individual graves in December and remove them again in January. Lorraine and Pete also helped with the founding of Operation Bugle Boy, which began in 2001 as a student patriotic service project. Now supported by five high schools in our community, they seek to support current soldiers, veterans and first responders by encouraging students and community members to recognize the value of their service and sacrifice. Lorraine sponsored the "Patriot Award" presented at the Operation Bugle Boy dinner every November. She was an active member and past Chairman of the Board of the Cole County Historical Society, and she helped the American Heart Association for many years. Survivors include: her husband of 68 years, Pete Adkins; one son, Terry Adkins of Bend, Ore.; four grandchildren, Blake Adkins of Portland, Ore., Pete Adkins of Kettle Falls, Wash., Valerie (Jay) Moore of Kansas City, Mo. and Samantha (Charles) Messer of Kansas City, Mo. She was preceded in death by her parents, and two sons, Mike Adkins and Danny Adkins. Visitation will be from 3:00 until 7:00 p.m., Monday, April 10, 2017 at Concord Baptist Church, 3724 W. Truman Blvd., Jefferson City, MO 65109. Funeral services will be conducted at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, April 11, 2017 at Concord Baptist Church with the Reverend Don McMurray officiating. Graveside services and interment will be held at Riverview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Pete and Lorraine Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 95, Jefferson City, MO 65102. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Freeman Mortuary. www.freemanmortuary.com