Lorraine Madeline Smith

Lorraine was born January 30, 1934 in Albion, New York, the youngest daughter of Domenico and Domenica Spada. She was predeceased by her husband, Hobert Smith, and her sisters Mollie (Spada) Occhino, Angeline (Spada) Sparks, Leona Spada, her brother Frank Spada, and her niece Melanie (Spada) Hathaway.

Lorraine is survived by two daughters, Tracie (Smith) DiGiacomo and her husband Thomas of Cary, Tara Smith of Raleigh, and grandchildren Meredith and Michael DiGiacomo. In addition, she is survived by her niece and nephews; Donna (Spada) Rodriguez and her husband Caesar, Brian Spada and his wife Colleen, Doug Spada and his wife Debbie, and many cherished nieces and nephews through marriage. Lorraine passed away peacefully at Transitions LifeCare surrounded by family.

Early in her life Lorraine’s family moved to Pittsburgh, PA, where she spent her primary school years. The Spada family moved again to Cleveland, OH, where Lorraine graduated from Collinwood High School in 1952. After high school, Lorraine joined the workforce as a secretary and stayed in her family home as she became a young working adult.

Lorraine often reminisced about her early years with her family. She fondly described her parents’ hard work and generosity during the depression years, and their big family gatherings with her mom’s unmatched homemade meals. She loved spending time with her siblings, and especially enjoyed her frequent shopping trips with her sister Angie and time spent with her beloved nieces and nephews; Donna, Brian, Doug and Melanie.

Lorraine met her husband, Hobert Smith, while working as an executive secretary at the H.K. Ferguson Company in downtown Cleveland. They married in February 1970 and soon welcomed their daughters Tracie and Tara. After H.K. Ferguson, Hobert joined Bechtel Corporation managing projects abroad, which moved the family to Canada, California, and Brazil. In 1978, the family settled in Fremont, CA, where Hobert and Lorraine started their own real estate firm, Tri-City Realty. They retired in 1997 and moved to China Grove, NC, in April 1998. After Hobert passed in 2014, Lorraine moved to Cary to be closer to her daughters and grandchildren.

Lorraine had a special love for her grandchildren and enjoyed being there to watch them grow up, play sports, experience school events, and graduate from high school. She spent nearly every Thanksgiving and Christmas with them, passing down family traditions and words of wisdom. Lorraine often expressed how lucky she felt being able to see both of “my babies” enter college.

Throughout her life, Lorraine enjoyed the company of her family and friends, she made lifelong friends everywhere she lived and cherished her family connections. She was often described as kind, faithful, fun-loving, and a little mischievous. She delighted in exploring new places, and enjoyed shopping, painting, and reading. Lorraine lived a life devoted to her faith, family and friends. She will be deeply missed.

Visitation will be at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home in Cary on Friday, May 15, 2026, from 4pm to 7pm. A funeral Mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church in Raleigh on Saturday, May 16 at 11am. Burial will follow thereafter at the Raleigh Memorial Park Cemetery. The family will host a luncheon reception at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home at 2pm. Memorials may be made to Transitions LifeCare at http://transitionslifecare.org.

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