She leaves behind two daughters, Alicia Mickley and Kara Gagnon, and a ridiculous number of boxes of papers that should’ve been thrown out 20 years ago. While she was unsuccessful in teaching her kids how to sew on a button, she can take comfort in their ability to speak their minds freely to anyone they know and those who cut them off in traffic. She also made sure they had reliable tools, a good set of cooking pots and a sturdy ladder.
Lorraine brought over 65 years of ‘Northern Charm’ when she moved south in 2012 where she was fondly referred to as “Ms. Lorraine, AKA the Resident Yankee” and often found herself trying to understand a Southern accent. She singlehandedly kept the paper map and flip phone industry alive. She couldn’t stand sweet tea, people with poor grammar, “weird vegetarian food” and anything that had to do with technology. She loved anything chocolate, “regulah tea”, clipping coupons and reusing literally anything from a plastic bag to a “perfectly good container” to put those plastic bags in. She would ask for power tools for Christmas and was often found on the roof, either fixing a leak or installing a lightning rod.
Her career goals were that of a being a teacher (hence, always correcting people’s grammar), but before landing in insurance, she took a few colorful stops along the way that included yelling at teenagers while driving a school bus, getting too distracted by the cute animals at a vet hospital and selling zero dollars of advertising at a radio station. She did successfully land a husband at that radio station, but it took a while to notice him because she was too annoyed by his loud, booming voice and distracting, frizzy hair. Carl Beane would eventually win her over, but she was never impressed as others were by his career as a sports broadcaster or as the voice of the Red Sox. In fact, she couldn’t care less and “didn’t get it.” We are hopeful that she is finally sitting with him at Fenway Park and isn’t giving him too difficult of a time as he works the crowd.
Her two main loves were her grandchildren, Zoe and Ava, who called her Nana. She was as dedicated to attending every dance and color guard performance as she was to not so delicately asking them, “Are you really going to wear that?” She made sure they had a winter coat every year, ice cream anytime they wanted it and a full understanding and appreciation of the simple things in life that included reading cursive and a great sale or “two-fer” at the grocery store. She also leaves behind her favorite “IT guy” Dan Gagnon who handled her weekly “why is my computer doing that?” issue. She was the only person who appreciated his Thanksgiving turkey and love of Star Trek. She often made it obvious that she liked him better than her own kids. She also will be missed by her favorite family addition, Michael Aloian of Las Vegas, who she would defend constantly by asking, “What did you do this time, Alicia?”
Lorraine was a very active member of Grace Church in Canton where her New York charm and blunt delivery was hesitantly, but enthusiastically embraced. Her most loyal companion, a shelter dog named Phoenix, was adopted because they “both had bum knees.” We often wondered who rescued who. In lieu of flowers, Lorraine would appreciate a donation to your local Humane Society. If that doesn’t work for you, then get outside and pull some weeds in your yard like she would always do.
A Celebration of Life Memorial service will be held at Grace Church in Canton, GA on October 10, 2021, at 3:30 PM.
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