Lorine Pergament

And in her final year, she fulfilled her dream to become a published novelist.

Her novel written over several years, “Triangulations,” inspired by her grandmother’s experience as a survivor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1918 in New York City, will be published next spring.

“It is unbearably sad that she will not experience the exhilaration of seeing the first copies roll off the presses but, clearly, it will be yet a further piece of her legacy,” said Stuart Kritzer, the older of her two younger brothers.

Mrs. Pergament, 78, died July 4, in Washington, D.C. three months after undergoing heart surgery.

Before writing her novel, she had several short stories published in local anthologies. She formed writers’ groups to share writing and criticism and became a member and officer of the D.C. Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association and a principal reviewer for book-club fiction candidates.

Born Feb. 22, 1943 in Newark, N.J. to Jules and Ethyl Kritzer, who were both teachers, Lorine first earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in psychology from Ohio State.

Her brother Stuart said Lorine had a sense of independence in an era when women’s roles were changing, and the changes were not always embraced by prior generations of women.

After graduating from college, she moved to Greenwich Village, which was considered too adventurous by her grandmother Fanny. Her explorations went far beyond Greenwich Village.

“She traveled in the mid-1960s to San Francisco to experience the counterculture up close and in person,” said her brother Stuart. “She demonstrated against the Vietnam War, including a sit-in and sleep-in at Port Chicago, north of San Francisco, where the napalm was transported to Vietnam.”

“She was honest and ethical, possessed of impeccable character, a proud feminist writer and true believer since the 70’s,” said her brother Stuart.

“Lorine was, among other things, loving, warm, generous, outgoing, funny and adventurous,” said her husband, also named Stuart. “We had the same perspective on almost everything, including family and social values. She was the love of my life and my best friend and anchor.”

Lorine’s multi-interests led her to earn a master’s of deaf education and a master’s of linguistics from NYU, a law degree from Fordham University and a master of fine art in creative writing from Johns Hopkins.

She learned sign language to communicate with her students at a time in New York City when its use was prohibited. She became an advocate for the use of sign language, used it to the delight of her students and their parents and started a movement for its acceptance at the school.

In their eulogies, her sons Joshua and Adam expressed their admiration and love for their mother and noted how empathic, warm and loving she was.

Lorine decided to switch from teaching to law after attending her husband Stuart’s orientation at Fordham Law School.

“What am I doing here as a spouse?” she asked herself afterwards.

Lorine decided to go to law school as a Fordham night student, starting when Joshua was 1-year-old. She graduated and took the New York bar exam while pregnant with Adam.

She practiced law in New York and Colorado and ran her own legal search firm in Washington, D.C., before deciding to return to teaching.

She became a special education teacher at Murch School, where she advocated for inclusion and created curricula.

Before long, she realized her real passion had always been to be a writer, and enrolled in the Johns Hopkins creative-writing program, earning her degree at night.

Lorine is survived by her husband of 48 years, Stuart; her sons; her brother Stuart and his wife Janet; her brother Glenn and his wife Yvonne; and six grandchildren.

A funeral service was performed July 8 at Temple Sinai on Military Road in the district, with burial at Garden of Remembrance in Clarksburg, Md.