Lorane Hughes Black

Black, Lorane H. Lorane Hughes Black, 74, of North Branford, wife of Leo M. Black, Jr., passed away Monday, October 22nd after a courageous battle with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus. She was born in New York City on November 18, 1937, the daughter of the late John and Gladyce Kilian Hughes. She moved with her family to Paramus, New Jersey and graduated from Hackensack High School in New Jersey. She married Leo Black in Paramus, New Jersey in 1962 and they moved to North Branford in 1968 with their two children. She was a member of the North Branford Garden Club; the Conservation Committee; and worked part-time as a representative for the Fuller Brush Company serving the towns of North Branford, Branford, East Haven and Guilford. She was a member of the Totoket Historical Society and the North Branford Congregational Church. She enjoyed gardening, sewing, painting and camping. She attended the Middlesex Community College where she earned degrees in Fine Art and Commercial Art. She also taught adult education during the evenings at North Branford High School. She helped start the recycling program for the town and was a member of the Hazardous Waste Committee for a number of years until her illness forced her to retire. She is survived by her husband, Leo M. Black Jr.; her children, Suzanne Nobile of Branford and Andrew Black and his wife Patricia of Madison; her grandchildren, Ryan Nobile, Alexander, Victoria and Jonathan Black; and her brother Kenneth Hughes and his partner Eva Gnoinska of Dudley, MA. A memorial service will be held at 1 pm on Saturday at the North Branford Congregational Church. Burial in Bare Plain Cemetery will be private. Memorial donations in her memory may be made to the North Branford Congregational Church or the Totoket Historical Society. Arrangements are entrusted to Keenan Funeral Home, 330 Notch Hill Road, North Branford. Those wishing to send condolences online may do so at www.keenanfuneralhome.com.