Lorraine Duffy Wilson was born in Ontario, Canada, on December 22, 1931, and died peacefully on September 29, 2019 in Santa Barbara, California. Lorraine’s family and siblings moved to Los Angeles in 1943, where she graduated from high school and entered Pasadena City College. Lorraine married Lawrence Devon Wilson in February, 1950. She and Larry raised two daughters, Stephanie and Leslie, in the community of San Marino, California. While raising a family, Lorraine was very active in numerous non-profits in the Pasadena area, including the St. Luke Hospital Guild, as well as serving as an Elder and a Deacon of the San Marino Community Church. During several summers she filled in for a reporter’s job writing for the local weekly paper, the San Marino Tribune.
Once her two daughters were grown and on their own, Lorraine began mid-life to search for a career. She landed positions as an editor-writer of newsletters for the Mental Health Association of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic. From those jobs she advanced to Executive Director of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Diabetes Association.
Upon moving to Santa Barbara in 1990, Lorraine started a weekly column covering the charity events for the Santa Barbara News-Press. She attended and reported on numerous fundraisers, ranging from the Santa Barbara Foundation to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Pacific Pride, the George Washington Carver Scholarship Foundation, and the Cottage Hospital Foundation. During her 24 years of column writing, Lorraine attended 3 or 4 fundraisers a week, writing columns that described the events and the sponsors who contributed to the charities’ endowments. She was awarded the “Strong, Smart, Bold” award from Girls Inc. for her coverage of Girls Inc. and other community groups in her writings.
Lorraine was preceded in death by her husband, Larry, and daughter, Leslie, as well as her sister, Marlene. She is survived by her daughter Stephanie and son-in-law Dr. Ron Ungerer, grandsons Andrew Ungerer of Denver, Colorado, and Mark Ungerer (Sophie) of San Francisco, and great-grandson Ryan Ungerer. She is also survived by siblings Sheila Lagomarsino, Claudette Duffy and Gerald Duffy, and numerous nieces and nephews. The family is grateful for the loving care of Heritage House, Assisted Hospice Care, Dr. Robert Wright and Dr. Robert Harbaugh in her final three years of life. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Girls Inc., Planned Parenthood, Family Services Agency, or a charity of your choice.
