Spouse:
Gene (married in 1962; he died on October 12, 2008)
Children:
Twelve children (8 adopted): Matthew (he died in the Iraq war, June 2005), Fernando (he died in a diving accident, 2000), Jay (he died from heart surgery complications, 1973), Tim, Tony, Ben, and Nick (sons); Leah, Kristin, Kim, Heidi, and Maria (daughters)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
Tony Lourey
- Son
Special Legislative Concerns: universal health care and prescription drug coverage, early childhood education, property tax reducation, health family farms, agriculture.
She sought the Democratic-Farmer-Labor endorsement for Minnesota Governor in 2002 and 2006. In 2006 the endorsement for the primary was given to Mike Hatch. Although she lost the endorsement, she still ran in the 2006 Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary which was won by Hatch.
She ran unsuccessfully as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party endorsed candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives in the 1986 and 1988 elections.