Lorraine Elizabeth DesLauriers

DesLAURIERS, Loraine Elizabeth (Cella) Of 2 Hilltop Rd., Longmeadow, died peacefully at home after a courageous battle with cancer. Born in Cambridge, Mass., she was the daughter of the late James & Alice (Plagemann) Cella. She was honored in Boston in 1942 when she won the Boston Herald Spelling Bee. She graduated in the top ten of 400 graduates from the Dorchester High School for Girls and worked at New England Life Insurance & New England Merchants National Bank in Boston as an administrative assistant. She later worked as an assistant to the manager of Fortune Magazine and the late cartoonist, Al Capp. After moving to Longmeadow she was the executive secretary to the V.P. of sales at Titeflex, Inc. Loraine had a gift for language. Whether composing poetry, editing text, writing creatively for work, or simply corresponding with friends, she was in her element. She had been the founding writer-editor of the Longmeadow School Committee Newsletter, a founding reporter for the Longmeadow News; founding Associate Editor of Springfield Magazine, and writer-editor for the Springfield Museum of Fine Arts Permanent European Galleries brochures. She authored a feature article in Today's Health Magazine, a national publication. Her career also embraced public-relations writing for Grafiks, Inc., Park-Main Travel Agency, Jeremy Lord, Inc., WestBank, Raytech, Inc., John Larson, M.D., and R.K. Burke, M.D. She was a past member of the Great Books Foundation, the Advertising Club of Springfield, The American Medical Writers' Association and the International Women's Writing Group. She was the community coordinator for public television in Longmeadow. She was a member of the Valley District Dental Women's Auxiliary and the Mercy Hospital Auxiliary. She was a member of the Wilbraham Players Theater Group and a parishioner at St. Mary's and member of the St. Mary's Guild. An avid tennis player, she was a long-time member of the Field Club. Loraine loved to travel, visiting Europe, Greece, the Caribbean, Canada, and much of the United States. She was an alumna of Boston University and an Ada Comstock Scholar at Smith College. She also took writing courses locally at Western New England College and The College of Our Lady of the Elms. She volunteered for the Boston American Red Cross blood donor program, the Brightside Shelter for Children, and WGBY Channel 57. She is survived by her beloved husband of 51 years, Dr. Richard J. DesLauriers of Longmeadow, son Richard C. of Franklin and his wife Christine (McGarry) and grandson Stephen, son David of Boston, and daughter Noelle Roberts of Granville and son-in-law, Dr. L. Willis Roberts. She also leaves her sister-in-law, Marguerite Morin, her sister and brother-in-law Pauline and Richard Zambarano, and her brother-in-law Pierre DesLauriers, as well as 11 nieces and nephews and lifelong friends Marie d'Eon and Toula Tuckerman. Loraine's grace and indomitable spirit will be fondly remembered by those whose lives she touched. The family wishes to express their gratitude to all of Loraine's caregivers. Her family will receive friends on Friday, November 28, 2008 at the Forastiere-Smith Funeral Home, 220 North Main Street, East Longmeadow. Calling hours are from 2-4 and 7-9 PM. A funeral service for Loraine will be held on Saturday, November 29th beginning at 11:00 AM from Forastiere-Smith Funeral Home with a Mass of Christian Burial, to be celebrated at 12 Noon, in St. Mary's Church in Longmeadow, followed by burial in Longmeadow Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, Loraine requested that memorial donations be made to Friends of the Public Garden, 87 Mount Vernon Street, Boston, MA, 02108 or to Baystate VNA and Hospice, 50 Maple Street, P.O. Box 9058, Springfield, MA 01102.