Lora Jean Heurlin

Lora Jean Heurlin (nee Holton), of Westminster, Colorado went to be with her Lord on Thursday, June 21, 2018.

Lora Jean was born to Carter and Lora Holton in Lanchow, Kansu China on January 18, 1931. She grew up on the mission field of China, and at age six attended the China Inland Mission boarding school at Chefoo with her older sister, Myrtle. At age ten, under the shadow of World War II, Lora and Myrtle were forced to evacuate China without their parents. After arriving safely in the United States, both girls were enrolled in the Hampden DeBose Academy in Orlando, Florida, where Lora was a student through the seventh grade. In 1944, Lora and Myrtle were reunited with their parents in Wheaton, Illinois before moving briefly to Ventura, California, where Lora worked in the fields of Burpee Seed Company where her father had a job. Then, in 1946, Lora's parents returned to China, while Lora returned to Hampton DeBose Academy, graduating with the class of 1949.

Lora continued her education at Wheaton College in Illinois where she met and eventually became engaged to classmate Robert John (""Jack"") Heurlin, whom she married on August 7, 1954 at the First Covenant Church in Chicago. After finishing two years of undergraduate studies at Wheaton College, Lora transferred to West Suburban Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in 1954 and passing the State Board Exams to become a Registered Nurse (RN). Soon after, she became a clinical instructor at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago. In 1956, Jack graduated from Northwestern University Dental School with a DDS degree, and then reported for active duty to Oceanside, California as a Navy Lieutenant.

While at Camp Pendleton, Lora and Jack were thrilled to start their family with their first child, John. Following Jack's time in the service, they returned to Illinois so Jack could finish his Master's Degree in Oral Surgery, while Lora added to their family with their second child, Bob, and worked as a nurse for various hospitals and doctor's offices. Upon completing his Residency, Jack joined a private practice in San Pedro, California, where he and Lora soon welcomed their third and fourth children, Kathy and Cindy. In 1966, they moved into the Rolling Hills Estates house that would become their family's home for the next 41 years. Here on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, they raised their children, were active members of Rolling Hills Covenant Church, and enjoyed many visits to the family cabin in Paso Robles, California. During these memory-filled years, Lora especially liked walks on the beach and her work as a hospice nurse, but she mostly loved being a mother. After a brief relocation to Palm Desert, California, Jack and Lora retired to The Covenant Village of Colorado (CVC), where they have lived for the last eight years.

Lora passed away at CVC on June 21, 2018 at the age of 87. Lora was a dedicated wife, mother, and nurse, known for putting the needs of others ahead of her own. She is survived by her husband of 64 years, Jack, their four children, and ten grandchildren. We look forward to our reunion with Lora in heaven. Until then, it's not hard to imagine her selflessly preparing a place for the rest of us, with fresh flowers by all our beds.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 29, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. in Smith Hall at Covenant Village of Colorado, 9153 Yarrow Street, Westminster.

Please share your memories of Lora and condolences with her family by signing the guestbook below.