Lorraine Heilig Diaz

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother and grandmother Lorraine Heilig Diaz, age 85, recently of Annapolis, Maryland. Lorraine was born October 26, 1937 in Remington, Virginia and grew up in Orange, Virginia. She graduated from Orange County High School in 1956, where she was a cheerleader, an accomplished pianist, a member of the basketball team and was crowned prom queen her senior year. She often recounted her senior recital where she played Debussy's Claire de Lune, which she continued to play throughout the years. In her last few weeks of life she still remembered her Orange County Hornets cheers and shared stories about her "buzzer beater" shot in one basketball game.

Lorraine went on to graduate from James Madison University in 1960, then known as Madison College, with a Bachelor of Science in Business. She was a proud member of the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority. At Madison, she became an avid bridge player and was appointed to the May Court her senior year.

Lorraine had a successful career as a paralegal in the DC area where she met her husband Ralph Diaz, and ultimately became the paralegal and office manager of Ralph's law practice after they moved to Coral Springs, Florida. Lorraine was an active member of the Coral Springs community for 29 years until she returned to her beloved state of Virginia, where she lived in Charlottesville for 15 years. She then spent 6 years in Charlotte, North Carolina and moved to Annapolis in 2022, both to be closer to her children. During retirement, Lorraine loved to travel to Europe, especially to Oberammergau, Germany where she witnessed the impressive Passion Play reenacted multiple times. She loved reading horoscopes and sharing her enthusiasm about being a Scorpio.

Lorraine is predeceased by her husband of 29 years Ralph Diaz, father Robert Lee Heilig and mother Ruth Courtney Heilig, her brothers Thomas Heilig and Robert "Buddy" Heilig, and her sister Frances Spigone.

Lorraine is lovingly remembered by her daughters Teresa Lorraine Diaz Ellenburg (Matt) of Annapolis and Debra Lorraine Diaz Wilcox (Kip) of Charlotte; her siblings Dorothy Hardwick, Margaret Rowe, Zelda Ouellette, Brenda Shelton (Terry) and James Heilig (Laura); and her step-children Cynthia Feist (John), Ralph Louis Diaz and Mary Ellen Diaz (Margaret). Lorraine had many nieces and nephews who loved their "Aunt Lorraine."

Lorraine's most cherished role was that of being "Grandma Rainey" to her grandson William Cameron Wilcox and her seven step-grandchildren: Tanya Vanderheiden, Chelsea Eddy, Josephine Preston, Devyn Diaz, Dallas Lorraine Diaz, Thea Simpson and Henry Simpson.

She loved to keep in touch with family and friends through greeting cards and Facebook, and everyone loved to see her loving comments in ALL CAPS. She will be sorely missed but continues to be deeply loved.

A memorial service for Lorraine will be held Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 2:30 PM at Trinity United Methodist Church, 143 W Main Street, Orange, VA 22960. A graveside service will occur Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 11:30 AM at Quantico National Cemetery, 18424 Joplin Rd, Triangle, VA 22172.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Lorraine's favorite charity that she loved to support. There was no child that Lorraine saw that did not bring a smile to her face.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared on this website for the Diaz family.