Lorraine L. Blackburn

May 26, 1927 - July 18, 2017

Rye – Lorraine L. Blackburn, 90, a longtime resident of the seacoast area, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 with her loving children by her side. Lorraine was born in Berlin on May 26, 1927, a daughter of the late Leo and Aurore (Paquette) Parent. She graduated from Berlin High with the Class of 1945 and went on to graduate from Endicott Junior College in Beverly, MA. She married the late William Charles Blackburn, also of Berlin, in 1948. Lorraine and Bill moved to Portsmouth for a brief time and eventually settled in North Hampton to raise their family. After Bill’s death in 1972, Lorraine worked at a variety of jobs throughout the Seacoast and as a single mother, did whatever she could to properly raise her family. In her retirement, she lived in Dover for a number of years. In 2012, due to her failing health and to be nearer to her children, Lorraine moved to the Webster at Rye Assisted Living Facility. Lorraine was always a hard-working woman but she also liked to have fun. She was always an outgoing and social lady, whether playing cards with her many friends, dancing at the Rockingham Ballroom or hanging out at the ocean and lakes with her family - she enjoyed it all. Never one to sit idle for long, she loved any outdoor activity, riding bikes, long walks, cross country skiing and golf. She was also a fantastic cook and shared her many excellent recipes with her children and grandchildren. Never one to shy away from sharing her opinions, Lorraine would often “tell it like it is.” She is survived by her children, Lynne Clough of Chocorua, JoAnn Remick and her husband Paul of Hampton, Amy Council of Danvers, MA, and William C. Blackburn Jr. and his wife Sheryl of Sacramento, CA, her grandchildren, Jeffrey Remick and his wife Erica of Hampton, Megan Remick of Malta, NY, Devon Clough Tompkins and her husband Rich of Chocorua, and Alison Council of Washington, DC, her great grandchildren, Tyler and Morgan Remick as well as several nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and her husband, she was preceded in death by her siblings, Leo Parent Jr., Evelyn Hagel, and Joan Mason, as well as her sons-in-law Calvin Council and James Clough. Visiting hours will be held from 10:30 to 11:30 AM on Saturday, July 22, 2017 in the Remick & Gendron Funeral Home-Crematory, 811 Lafayette Rd., Hampton. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12 PM at the St. Theresa Parish Church, 815 Central Rd., Rye. Burial will be next to her husband in the Center Cemetery, North Hampton. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to a charity of one’s choice.