Lorraine Adele Driese

Lorraine Adele Zari-Driese was a cheerful woman. Sure, she could get upset and frustrated about things (like getting old!), but her basic outlook on life, her default mode, was one of optimism and cheer. And she was thankful about things. Maybe most of all she was thankful that she had had the wisdom and luck to pick two good men to marry. I heard her refer to her first husband, Del Zari, and her second husband, Arthur Driese, who she later married after Del died, with love and admiration many times. She loved them both and appreciated them both.

Lorraine loved to shop — and talked about the walks and shops in downtown Seattle and Northgate Mall with a kind of wistful nostalgia. She knew how to sew and how to dress, how to dance and what kind of shoes a lady wears for a night on the town. She knew how to enjoy a nice luncheon date with her sisters and she knew how to have a good time with friends. Lorraine recalled dancing and music with Del at ballrooms and venues in downtown Seattle in the 1940’s and 50’s — places, I imagine, that are now long gone and forgotten except by a very few Seattle old-timers.

She talked about fun travels with Arthur around the United States and beyond. Lorraine enjoyed going to casinos and playing the games there and the restaurants. According to her nephew Yeager, she had an uncanny ability to know when a certain slot machine was overdue to “pay out.” I don’t know if she always won, but on a trip we took together to a casino north of Seattle about 15 years ago, she certainly did win enough to go straight from casino to nearby outlet mall where she picked out, and delighted in, a beautiful new designer purse!

Lorraine was a fun person to be around and made many beautiful memories for those blessed to know and love her.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cristmortuary.com for the DRIESE family.