Lorraine Liebowitz

1932 - 2022

Lorraine Liebowitz, beloved mother, grandmother, wife, artist, poet, and civil servant, passed away of natural causes at her home in Boca Raton, FL on June 18. She was 89.

Lorraine (née Lorraine Feign) was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1932, the youngest of the four children of Clara and Abe Feigin. From a very young age, Lorraine was a lover of the arts and would ("for only a nickel") spend entire Saturdays at the movies, avidly devouring film after film after film. Later in life, she would go on to possess an impressive home library of American cinema classics, labeled meticulously and organized by a bespoke cataloging system. (Really, it was like a Blockbuster.)

This acumen for organization came from a passionate and impactful career in library science. After giving birth to her only son, Mitchell, Lorraine went back to school (having only completed high school) and received both her Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Library Sciences. From there, she went on to work for the New York State Supreme Court Library, assisting justices and attorneys with their research for their opinions and cases. In addition to her passion for library sciences, Lorraine was also very enthusiastic about technology and was adamant about implementing digitalization into the Supreme Court Library. She is credited with spearheading the effort that digitized the contents and records of the New York State Supreme Court Library.

She was very happily married to Eli Liebowitz for sixty-one years, until his passing in 2011. They met at a concert in Prospect Park in 1948 and not soon after, Eli asked Lorraine to "go steady to go steady" (which in her recounting of their love story, you could tell she always found charming). They were married in 1950 and in 1958, welcomed their son Mitchell. They were very close with Lorraine's sister and brother-in-law, Stella and Max Teitelbaum, and their children, Iris and Phillip. They all lived near one another in Coney Island and Lorraine often shared many wonderful memories about their time together.

In 1981, Mitchell married Mary Muñoz and they gave birth to a daughter, Brigitte, Lorraine and Eli's only grandchild. Even though she lived in New York and Brigitte lived in California, Lorraine was a dedicated and devoted "Bubbie" to Brigitte, making great efforts to stay in touch through phone calls, letters, care packages and visits. The two shared a special bond over a passion for movies and comedy (and being little stinkers) and enjoyed working their way through Lorraine's ersatz video store, sitting on matching recliners and snacking.

In 1996, Lorraine and Eli relocated to Boca Raton from Brooklyn and began their Floridian retirement, which for Lorraine, meant immediately getting a part time job at the local library. She loved interfacing with the patrons and loved her colleagues, many of whom became good friends. She worked at the branch on 441 until 2017 when she finally retired at the age of 85 to make time for more movies, more relaxing, and spending quality time getting lucky at the slot machines in Coconut Grove. (She always had a magic touch.)

Throughout her life and in her spare time, Lorraine enjoyed patronizing and participating in the arts. She was a very accomplished painter, enthusiastic folk dancer, and a lifetime learner, constantly enrolled in a poetry class, a short story class, or even a burlesque workshop. From macrame to beadwork to composing songs about cats with noisy footsteps, Lorraine's creative spirit was always at play and she leaves behind a vast, eclectic, and charming oeuvre.

She loved her family deeply and they loved her deeply in return. Her passing feels epic, and those who have outlived her will likely agree that time "In the Year of Lorraine" and "After Lorraine" feels distinctly different. We love you, Lorraine, and we will miss you.

A memorial service will be held at 12:00 noon, August 11th, 2022 at Beth Israel Memorial Chapel located at 5808 W Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33484. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to Friends of the Boca Raton Library.