August 30, 2026- On a beautiful late summer night, with the windows open and the sound of cicadas in the background, Lorraine passed peacefully in her home, surrounded by her family and beloved cats. Just how she would have wanted it.

Lorraine — daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, and Ammy — spent her final months enjoying World Cup soccer and the beautiful home she created, especially the porch, where she and her family gathered for meals, conversation, cribbage, and watercolor-painting tutorials taught by her. A good day for Lorraine included a checked-off "to-do" list. Her work ethic — a trait passed down from her parents — was still evident in her last weeks, as she was finishing a quilt for her first great-grandchild (yet to be conceived). Lorraine was known for her positive attitude, her fierce devotion to loved ones, her infectious laughter, her love of math, her decisiveness, her ability to find humor in every situation, and her enormous capacity to love. She was often affectionately baffled by modern slang, proving that a sharp mind doesn't need to know the difference between nipping something in the bud and nipping it in the butt.

Lorraine Emigene Wheeler was born November 13, 1946, the youngest of five children, to Mark and Grace Wheeler of Milford, NH. Her early years were spent in Milford before the family moved to Peterborough, where she was part of her family's milk delivery business — she would be the first to tell you that she could drive a Divco delivery truck. She graduated from Peterborough High School in 1964.

She attended Colby Junior College and earned a teaching degree in 1966. In that same year, she and Lloyd "Butch" Walker were married and started their life in Peterborough. Lorraine taught high school math at Antrim High School, Peterborough High School, and ConVal High School. She loved all her students and had a unique ability to reach the ones with harder life stories through her humor and openness.

In 1975, Lorraine and Butch welcomed their first child, Caitlin, followed by Kent in 1979. Their house was always a hub of activity and the place where all generations gathered.

In 1989, Lorraine started working at Staff Development for Educators, where she later became vice president and then shifted to writing educational math books. During her research for the books, she traveled to Singapore multiple times, which became a huge source of pride for her.

After her retirement in 2014, she became a tea drinker, an oil painter, and (if possible) an even more devoted grandmother. She also started volunteering at the Monadnock Center for History and Culture, where she portrayed Nancy Prescott and led historical hearth-cooking events open to the community. In true Lorraine fashion, she poured her heart into it, bringing 17th-century Peterborough back to the present.

Above all else, Lorraine loved her family. She is survived by her brothers, Edward and Gerald Wheeler of Bozeman, MT; her sister, Marcia Burke of Swanzey, NH; her husband of 60 years, two months, and five days, Butch Walker; her daughter, Caitlin Walker; her son, Kent Walker; daughter in-law, Stacy Walker and her grandchildren, Lucy, Owen, and Wetu Selby, and Grace and Avi Walker.

She was predeceased by her sister, Elizabeth Guinard, and her parents, Mark and Grace Wheeler.

A Celebration of Lorraine’s life will be held Sunday, September 20th from 11-3 at the Monadnock Center for History and Culture.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Monadnock Center for History and Culture in Peterborough.