Lorraine Pappafava

Lorraine Pappafava, 90, of Greensburg, passed away peacefully Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, in her home, surrounded by family and other loved ones.

Beautiful Lorraine spent her 90-year gift on earth loving her husband, her children and her grandchild. When she wasn't taking care of her family, she spent her time golfing, gardening, traveling, decorating and entertaining. She leant her support to General Carbide, the business she helped to launch with her husband, Premo, whom she spent 44 years with before he passed away.

An avid Steelers fan, she never missed a game and she could always be heard and seen shouting, clapping and jumping up and down with excitement. Lorraine attended Sewickley High School and was very proud of her post as head majorette. Well into her golden years, she could still show off her moves.

Before meeting Premo, Lorraine spent a handful of years working as a secretary in Trafford. After marrying in 1957, the couple moved next door to her parents in Herminie, and later to Greensburg, where they broke ground on the company. Lorraine tirelessly scrubbed floors, prepared paperwork, entertained clients and everything and anything else needed to help get the business off the ground while never missing a beat on the mothering front.

Lorraine had prayed for years to become a mom and finally welcomed into the world her daughter, Mona, followed two years later by her daughter, Marcy. And mother she did! She cooked and cleaned and chauffeured until she fell, tired but smiling, into her bathwater at night. She gave it all she had, sometimes staying up all night just to keep one of her daughters company while they wrote a school paper or finished a project. Lorraine was full of life and vigor, helped by her three-miles daily hike around the rolling hills of Seton Hill College.

Lorraine was an avid golfer and was a member of the Greensburg Country Club and Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, Fla. For decades, she swung her clubs always hoping--and finally breaking--that elusive score of 100. Golfing for her was a daylong event. Early tee off time, drinks in the clubhouse or back to her home with friends for a gin and tonic or Glenlivet on the rocks followed by homemade pasta and meatballs and hours upon hours of card playing and laughter. Gin was her game of choice and she could beat the pants off anyone, almost up to the day she said goodbye to the earth. Her daughters would wonder how their mother, nearly 90 and suffering from Alzheimer's, could still win, but maybe that was more about them than about her.

Lorraine was happiest when she was busy. An early bird, she was the first one to awaken and believed all chores and errands had to be completed by noon. Lorraine had an eye for design and a talent for feathering her nests. She was always decorating and redecorating her homes. She believed in a place for everything and everything in its place. Her friends would comment that even the vitamin bottles were lined up in a neat little row.  Her home, always beautiful and sparkling clean, really came alive during the Christmas season, which for her began in November. Not only were the stockings hung by the chimney with care, but also decorating the tree was an art in itself. Every ornament placed just so and even the packages under the tree were color coordinated. Gardening brought Lorraine joy. She loved to visit greenhouses and curate her flower garden and pots, planting and caring for flowers of all varieties. Roses were her favorite flower, especially red roses. Red was her favorite color across the board. Lorraine was an accomplished cook and enjoyed entertaining friends, family and business associates. Dinner was never boring because Lorraine scoured magazines and newspapers looking for interesting meals to try. Some of her biggest hits: rum cake, Texas sheet cake, ham loaf, spring pasta salad, veal marsala, bbq beef, shrimp jambalaya, mushroom rolls and pot roast. She also loved to dine out, especially for Italian food. Dinners out were events in themselves. A Thursday night meal could easily last a leisurely four hours. Lorraine had a soft spot for the smallest among us. She never saw a baby she didn't want to hold, and one of her greatest blessings was her granddaughter Caroline. Lorraine had a big heart, taking in strays (the human kind), feeding and clothing and helping them in any way she could, but silently, so you didn't know unless you happened to witness the kindness. Lorraine worshipped at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg, and before that at St. Edwards Church in Herminie.

Born May 27, 1929, she was the daughter of the late Louis and Caroline Beddick (Bohinc) of Herminie, and sister of the late Louis Beddick Jr., of Belle Vernon. She was preceded in death by her husband, Premo. Surviving Lorraine are her daughters, Marcy Pappafava and Mona Pappafava-Ray (Jason Ray); and granddaughter, Caroline Ray. Two nephews also survive her, Kevin and Richard Heckman; and a niece, Patricia Sliwoski.

Friends will be received from noon to 3 and 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019, at the KEPPLE-GRAFT FUNERAL HOME, 524 N. Main St., Greensburg. Prayers of transfer will be held at 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 19, 2019, in the funeral home, followed by Lorraine's funeral Mass at 9:30 a.m. in Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Greensburg. Entombment will follow in Greensburg Catholic Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Premo J. Pappafava Foundation, 1151 Garden St., Greensburg, PA 15601, mailed to the attention of Mona Pappafava-Ray or to Alzheimer's Disease Research, , 22512 Gateway Center Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871, mailed to the attention of Charlie Thomas, Planned Giving Manager. For online condolences, please visit www.kepplegraft.com.