With a husband who served in World War II and went on to become, as the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame puts it, "the most successful high school football coach this nation has ever seen," there was a time when people may have referred to Lorraine Adkins as Mrs. Pete Adkins.
Even back then, that would have been a mistake. But it's not a mistake anyone would have made in recent years. Lorraine Adkins stood out of the shadow of her husband, even - dare we say - overshadowing her husband. But it had nothing to do with her proving she was her own person. It had everything to do with honoring veterans and about making Jefferson City a better place to live.
Lorraine, 88, died earlier this month after a brief illness.
Her chief project was Wreaths for Heroes, a program that organized the placement of artificial wreaths and red bows on each of the National Cemetery's 1,587, graves before each Christmas.
She started with the program in 2010, after witnessing that it had little support the previous year. She and a committee of about 15 were able to raise money, get area schools involved and organize local vendors for donations and volunteers.
On Monday, she was posthumously honored with the Lieutenant Governor's Senior Service Award, which honors Missourians for promoting and highlighting the positive accomplishments Missouri's seniors provide to their local communities.
Fortunately, she also was honored for her work while she still was living. In 2011, she was given the Patriots Day Award.
"I am used to Pete getting awards but was totally surprised," Adkins said after receiving that honor. "I didn't expect any recognition - all I expected was for people to come out and help us.
"That was all the recognition I wanted."
She also was vice president of the Cole County Historical Society, which will honor her at its upcoming fashion show.
Incidentally, one of the last gifts she gave wasn't to the community, but to her husband, Pete.
A WWII vet, Pete commented he would love to attend a Pearl Harbor commemoration. So, despite her being in her late 80s and Pete in his early 90s, Lorraine made it happen. She organized a trip for the two of them to attend last year's 75th anniversary event in Hawaii.
After returning, she said they had a wonderful time. The traveling wasn't always easy, she said, but organizers went out of their way to accommodate them.
In losing Lorraine, Jefferson City lost a powerful advocate for veterans and for the Jefferson City community. Hopefully, her passion will inspire others to follow in her footsteps.