Memorial Celebration Recap

The Memorial Celebration of Lorraine’s Life was held on Sunday March 6, 2022, at an idyllic outdoor setting on the Tennessee River. The day was very windy, but beautiful and sunny, with temperatures in the lower 80s. The Celebration was well-attended by friends and family, both in-person (about 40) and online (about 25).  Teams of family and friends started arriving at 11:30 that morning to help decorate, prepare food, set up computers and TVs for the Zoom sessions, and set up the audio/visual equipment.  

The decorating team was seriously challenged by strong gusts of wind that kept blowing down photos of Lorraine, her paintings, flowers set on tables, and easels with Lorraine’s quilts.  At one point, the wind blew over one of the TVs, but a tech team member ran and saved it, just before it hit the ground.  Bags of potting soil were retrieved from someone’s pickup truck and used to stabilize the equipment.  A podium and a few chairs were set up for the speakers to address the local attenders. Two arbors were decorated with Lorraine’s scarves; one of the arbors enshrined a kind of “altar”, upon which we placed: two photos of Lorraine, one of her floppy hats, and a beautiful urn which held her ashes. 

Meanwhile, the kitchen crew prepared the food and beverages: spanakopita triangles, mini-quiches, cheese platters with assorted crackers, fresh fruit, cookies, and homemade brownies and blondies.  A non-alcoholic beverage was prepared: Bopa’s Punch (Tom’s special blend of juices). Several guests asked about the punch, so we included the recipe on this website.  For those of you who asked about the tasty food, we did our own catering, purchasing most of the groceries from Whole Foods.  The Homemade Brownies and Blondies were baked by one of our Quaker Friends.  

To accommodate social distancing, the kitchen team arranged 3 separate buffets, all very appetizing and beautifully presented.  The buffet room included two very large displays of photos of Lorraine over the years with friends and family, all very lovingly selected and placed on easels.

At 1:30 PM Alina invited the locals to take their seats and the Zoomers to mute.  A few technical “hiccups” were quickly addressed, and the formal ceremony began.  The program included speakers, poetry, music, and photo montages.  Several people (local and online) shared their personal memories and thoughts of Lorraine; it was touching; there were many tears, but also much laughter!  At the very end of the formal program, a two-second video was shown of Lorraine giving everyone an air kiss [MWAH!].

After the ceremony, everyone was thanked, the locals were invited to have some food and drink and to visit with each other, while they looked at some of Lorraine’s paintings, craft work, and photos; and the Zoomers were bid farewell.  

Lorraine’s sister, Linda, and Tom, together with our family, wish to thank you for your kind words, prayers, gifts, baked goods, kitchen help, setting up, decorating, hugs, and so much more.  If you attended, whether locally or online, we thank you for your presence and for helping absorb into your hearts the many tears, both of grief and of joy, that were shed that afternoon, also the laughter.  If you were unable to attend, we hope you find some memento of Lorraine to carry away with you from this website.  You may also leave a memory or thought, if you wish. The 6 links below will help you navigate this website. 

Again: Thank You So Much!