Obituary - Laureen Grace 'Lorney' Saylor

Laureen Grace Saylor, age 84, passed into eternal life with her loving Savior, Jesus Christ, July 23rd, 2024.

"Lorney" as she preferred to be called, was born Nov 2, 1939, in Havre, MT. She was the youngest of four daughters born to parents Marion (Kearful) and Gustave Vercruyssen of Clear Creek, south of Chinook.

Raised during hard times at the end of the Depression Era, she brought spark and fun into everyone's life with her spunky and witty ways. She was a very caring, conscientious and extremely hard worker influenced by her homesteading grandparents. Lorney raised her own four children to work hard (before play) and that you could do anything you set your mind to. If the kids dared to grumble, they were met with "What would the pioneers do," and that was not a question.

When Lorney was 3 years old, her mother started teaching in many of the one-room schools in northern Montana. Lorney was educated early and advanced far beyond her years. Conditions were poor with no indoor plumbing, lighting nor dependable heating and horseback travel was required in all kinds of weather. One year while attending Hays Mission School, she was the only nonnative student. Lorney graduated from Havre Central High School in 1956 at the young age of 16 while maintaining an apartment in town with her sister and working a job at the Credit Bureau.

Lorney was an animal lover, especially horses and dogs, and was a competitive barrel racer. Whether it was feeding a litter of orphaned skunk kits or raising and showing registered Hereford bulls with her sister Joan, she was always considerate of all God's creatures, great and small.

She was creative, inventive and artistic. She could sing beautifully, draw, make meals out of nothing, raised a large blue-ribbon garden and sold organic produce. Nothing wasted and nothing impossible seemed to be her motto. It was miraculous how she could work outside and still cook up three big meals a day. She was famous for her sourdough hotcakes. Visitors found the coffee pot was always on, and she would just peel more spuds and insist you stay and eat.

Lorney was a long-time night lamber and said that her short stature was from carrying the many buckets of milk to feed hundreds of bum lambs over the years.

She was a voracious reader with impeccable language and grammar skills, a writer for numerous publications and magazines, reporter and newspaper editor. She authored and published three best seller books. After the publication success of "Next Year Country" and "You're On Your Own," Lorney was much-sought-after as a motivational speaker and traveled across the U.S. speaking on talk shows and at conventions, giving humorous and eye-opening accounts of real rural life. Her cookbook is still used today in many kitchens.

Lorney was part of a "God Squad" prayer group and was a fierce and diligent prayer warrior. Her desire was that all mankind be saved and would know the love and protection of God. She and her husband, Roger, founded Ride for the Brand Ministry and hosted Cowboy Church Bible teaching meetings in their home for over 20 years. These gatherings were complete with a full home cooked meal and always topped with a banana split ice cream buffet. Many meetings included in-person teaching from Glenn and Ann Smith, Mike and Sherry Morrison, Rick Reyna, Kenneth and John Copeland and Mac Hammond to name a few. Lorney never left home without her Bible. The Ride for the Brand Ministry distributed many new Bibles to jails and newborns in hospitals in Montana and Texas. Her prayers, encouragement and positive example birthed a prayer group in Ohio.

Lorney is survived by her husband and life partner of 44 years, Roger Saylor; daughter Marion and Patrick Leary, daughter Jody Wallace, son Elgin and Colleen Faber, son Luke Faber; grandchildren Tyler and Roseanna Leary, Dan Leary, Emily and Bryson Jacobs, Ethan Faber, Dan and Felicia Beck, Daniel and Miranda Kintzler; 7 great grandchildren, brother in law Allen Saylor, former husband John Faber, sister Joan Olson, brothers Max and Jim Vercruyssen and a multitude of nieces and nephews and prayer partners.

Lorney was looking forward to the reunion with many family members and friends who would welcome her into Heaven and to hear the words of her Lord, "Well done, good and faithful servant. "Matthew 25:21 NAB. Among those preceding her include her parents, sisters Flora Paulsen and Fay Stuker, stepdad Art "Churnie" Peugh, daughter-in-law Terrie Faber and son-in-law Robb Wallace.

A private family burial will be held at a later date at the Saylor Faber Ranch, Buffalo, MT. Memorials may be made to the charity of the donors' choice.