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Lorraine Hopfmann Obituary
She is survived by two loving sons, David M. Khanoyan and his wife Donna of Sturbridge; and Michael T. Khanoyan and his wife Betty of Clinton; a brother, Louis Bruso of Las Vegas, NV; five grandchildren, Michael T. Khanoyan, Jr., Shannon, Timothy, Jonathan, and Christopher Khanoyan. She leaves numerous nieces, nephews, and many dear friends. She is preceded in death by her former husband David Khanoyan.
Lorraine was born in Buffalo, New York to the late Louis J. and Rita (Arnold) Bruso. At a young age, her family moved to Clinton, where she attended schools and later graduated from the Clinton High School Class of 1949. She proudly served in the Civil Air Patrol prior to beginning a life long career as a machine operator. She ultimately retired from the Wheetabix Company in Clinton after having held previous employment with Ray-O-Vac, Injectronics, and the former ITT Surprenant. She also worked as a part-time waitress at the former Maybarton Garden in Clinton and held membership with the Clinton Turn Verein. Lorraine enjoyed horseback riding, bowling, and was a devoted fan of the Boston Red Sox.
A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at 7PM in the Philbin-Comeau Funeral Home, 176 Water St., Clinton. A calling hour will be held prior to services in the funeral home on Wednesday from 6 until 7PM. Online condolences may be placed at
www.philbincomeaufh.com
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Lorraine Hopfmann
Sponsored by Lorraine's loving sons, David and Michael Khanoyan.
Mom and her brother, Louie (Sonny)
Dave Khanoyan
May 5, 2019
Mom, Donna and me
Dave Khanoyan
May 5, 2019
Denise Bruso
May 13, 2009
I was saddened to hear of you loss. I know it is a very difficult time, but memories last forever....visit them often.
My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Ed Meyer
May 12, 2009
Dave,
I never knew your mother, of course. But she must have been quite extraordinary to have raised a son like you. This may sound corny, but I'm sure she is very proud of you.
Jocelyn Grant
May 11, 2009
You are all in our thoughts & prayers.
George Hamilton
May 8, 2009
I was so sorry to hear of your loss. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help at this time.
Your Loving Son
David Khanoyan
May 8, 2009
LIFE’s LESSONS
First of all, I’d like to thank each and every one of you (from the bottom of my heart) for taking the time out of your busy day to attend this celebration of our Mom’s LIFE.
Your presence alone means more to us than words can describe.
I am gathering strength from each and every one of you in order to get through these next few minutes. In return…it is my sincere hope that you will all leave this memorial service with renewed strength to carry on with your daily lives…with the understanding that “Tomorrow is promised to no one”. How very important it is for us to “Live in the Moment”. So please bear with me while I attempt to make sense of it all…
Contemplation…Reflection…Not my favorite pastimes.
But, do it…I must…
*** Tonight …we pray for what we know can be. ***
We are all a product of our environment…Where we live…our family…our friends…All play a part in who we become. Most of the time, we don’t understand…or even CARE how we are being affected by those around us…but as they say: “It takes a VILLAGE to raise a child”.
Each and every one of us has such a very short time to spend on this earth… Many of us have asked the question: “Why am I here?” ---or---“What is the meaning of life?” Well it’s going to take someone with far more intelligence than I, to answer THOSE questions…I do know THIS, however…
We all have a choice. We can choose to ask the question: “What’s in it for me?” …and then…spend the rest of our lives trying to satisfy our OWN needs …OR… we can choose to ask: “What can I do to leave this planet a better place than when I arrived?” …and then…spend every waking moment attempting to make a positive difference EACH and EVERY opportunity that presents itself.
The woman who’s life we have come here to celebrate IS…and always will be…an inspiration to me. Our Mom left this world without a complete understanding of how many lives she touched. NONE of us really knows the “ripple effect” that we cause as we interact with our fellow human beings…
My Brother and I are a direct result of our Mother’s successes…her failures…her actions…and inaction.
Lorraine Theresa Bruso (Khanoyan-Hopfmann) was a compassionate human being. She married our Father, David at a very young age. She loved him dearly.
I got to know her a couple of weeks before her 21st birthday. My brother, Michael, arrived two months after her 22nd.
We were eye-witnesses to her unlimited supply of compassion throughout our childhood. She always made sure that WE had…while SHE did without. She thought of her children, before herself. I learned quite a bit about sacrifice and selflessness, as a child. Her strength and courage were not lost on us.
Her death has forced me to reflect upon why I loved this woman…besides the fact that she was my Mother…and I’m sure that my Brother…my friend…will concur with my reasoning…
The reality is this: When Mother’s day rolled around each year, I bought her the obligatory card, sent flowers and attempted to remind her how very much I appreciated what a great job she did as both a Mother AND a Father; …For the most part FORCED to raise her children without a Husband in the picture…. The result of LIFE throwing one of its MANY curves at her.
Yes… she had the help of family and friends. Don’t get me wrong. …I thank God for everyone who helped in our upbringing.
…and there were MANY! … As they say, “It takes a village…”.
The woman whose life we celebrate here, today, wore many hats: As I said earlier…She was an inspiration…a parent, when she had to be…a friend, when we needed one…a provider…a nurturer…a hard worker…but most of all, she was a teacher. My Brother and I are a mere reflection of her teachings.
“Life’s Lessons Learned.”.
Just a few of the many things that I learned from this woman…in no particular order:
She would tell us that it didn’t matter what sort of job we performed…be the best at it, that we could be…
If you’re a ditch-digger, she would say: “Be the best darned ditch-digger, because someone is always watching you…and your work-ethic will pay off in the long run…you’ll see…”.
With hard work and perseverance, we could DO anything…BE anything in this life that we wanted to be. She always told us, “Don’t let anyone convince you that you can’t do something, which you have a burning desire to do” (…unless, of course… it’s either illegal or fattening…).
“Follow your heart”. This piece of advice gave me confidence to pursue my dreams, though it regrettably took me away from Clinton, to fulfill those dreams.
Mom related a story to us of how we didn’t have much when she was first married. A black woman, one of our neighbors, noticed our plight. This kind woman would bring us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to eat. “It doesn’t matter the color of a person’s skin”, she would say… “We are all alike. We all have the same needs…desires…hopes and dreams. There is only ONE race… The HUMAN race. …and we ALL belong to it …Don’t ever forget that”. …and I haven’t…
As a young girl, her friends referred to her as Lorrie. She joined the Girl Scouts…was in the Civil Air Patrol…and basically was a “Tomboy”. Mom loved to ride horses.
She would tell us stories of how she’d skip school by pretending to leave the house through the front door, but instead, simply slamming it… while she snuck up two flights of stairs to hide in the attic, until her parents left for work. After Gram and Grampa went to work, she’d head out on her bike to the horse stable, where she would brush them and clean the stables in order to ride the horses, as her reward.
Mom loved all animals. She owned a multitude of cats and dogs in her lifetime. She taught her dogs all sorts of tricks. One of her dogs actually saved her life…
She was riding her bike while her dog, Mandy, ran beside her. Usually, Mandy would run on the sidewalk-side, but this day…her faithful dog was not in her usual spot. Mandy was hit by a car that day and didn’t survive her injuries. Mom always believed that if Mandy was running where she normally did…closest to the sidewalk…Mom would have been the one struck and killed. Telling this story always brought her to tears…
She loved sports. Mom bowled, played basketball and softball, as a young girl. I thank God that she loved sports! What ‘single-Mom’ sits down with her sons to watch a “Red Slobs” game and discusses the intricacies of the game. We learned strategy and the rules of the game from a …well…a…a GIRL!
Mom would come to all of our Little League baseball games…always making sure that we arrived there early. She would pass out bubblegum to all of our teammates (ensuring our popularity), then she would provide two BRAND NEW BASEBALLS for us to use during our games. Mike pitched…and I caught…You can only imagine how well my words of wisdom were received by my Brother on how to pitch to the batter. We brought each other to tears, more than once, during these heated arguments…
She loved people. …and knew everyone by their name… “Hon’ ” …She called everyone “Hon’ ”…
When she was a waitress at Maybarton’s on High Street, here in Clinton, she found it difficult to remember all of her customers’ names, so she decided to use this endearing term for everyone she waited on.
She taught my Brother and me how important it was to find a good woman to love and devote our lives to.
We have both succeeded in finding two “angels”, who have devoted their lives, to ensuring our happiness … and helped us to become the best that we can be.
**Thank you Betty and Donna for helping us through this most difficult time in our lives.**
Take a look around you. Lorraine Hopfmann’s legacy is present in this room. Her two children and their five children. If you know any one of US…then you know Lorraine.
She once told me (…and I have since passed it on to my Son, Christopher …because I believe it to be very important…)
“David, I want you to understand that the most important thing that I will ever give to you, is your last name.”
(Being quite young at the time …and not having all of my brain cells completely developed, I thought to myself: ‘GREAT! The most important thing that she’s ever going to give me is a name that nobody on this planet can ever spell…or pronounce correctly! WONDERFUL! I guess it’s all downhill from here…’). “David? Your last name…Honor it. Honor your Father and me. Everything that you do in this lifetime reflects upon your parents… your Grandparents… your Great-Great…You get the idea…Do NOT tarnish it. Treat people with respect, until they have proven that they no longer deserve your respect. Don’t look down on people …with ONE exception…The only time that you should look down on someone, is when you’re reaching down to help them up. Do the right thing. That’s all that I expect from you. That’s all that I ask of you…Do what’s right.”
I’m sure that I responded to her very important message, something like this:
“Sure Mumma …whatever… Can I go out and play, now?”
As we end this celebration of my Mom’s life…I am going to ask each of you to do something in her memory…I am requesting that you FIRST remember your Mother’s this Sunday. Then, I’m asking that you do one additional thing…I would like you to perform a “Random Act of Kindness”.
Put someone else’s needs above your own.
To know that…although my Mother has moved on from this world to the next…the fact that she existed resulted in God’s work being performed by you…is comforting to me.
My Mom helped me to understand that God is within each and every one of us. How we treat each other…with kindness and respect…allows God’s presence to be revealed through our actions.
The vision that I have of my Mom being met by our Father, David …and her parents, Rita and Louie, (Gram and Grampa), as her soul left her body …will allow me to live the rest of my life here on earth, without fear of death.
In conclusion, would you all please rise…and join hands…as we recite the Lord’s Prayer…followed by the Hail Mary…Thank you…
(Lord’s Prayer)
(Hail Mary)
May God bless you and those you love.
…and don’t forget your homework…
The Nuzzolilo Family
Adam Nuzzolilo
May 7, 2009
I will always remember fondly being called Adam-up by Aunt Lorraine. Her love for animals and people will always live on because she shared this love with everyone that she encountered. I offer my love and prayers to all in this time of greif.
Love,
Adam, Dana, Brandon, & Jeremy
Sandy May and me...
Sally Ranck
May 6, 2009
Although I never met Aunt Lorraine I know the feeling of loss and my heart goes out to you all.
Love,
Sally, Johnny, and Sandy May Ranck (Bruso)
Roger Bruso
May 6, 2009
In loving memory of a wonderful person. We will love you and miss you always. Roger-the-Lodger and Wess
Richard Bruso
May 4, 2009
We are sorry for your loss. I will always remember the good times growing up with you guys in Clinton ! Love, Rich(ie)
lois kirk
May 4, 2009
Our love and prayers are with you all. I wish we could be there.
Love Lois, Jeff, Amanda, and Allison Kirk
May 4, 2009
Sorry for your loss.
Mary and Art
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