Lorraine (Roberts) Bonhomme
Traveller, storyteller, free spirit. Born on Jan. 29, 1931, in Glace Bay, N.S.; died on July 15, 2014, in Sudbury, Ont., of cancer, aged 83.
We often referred to our grandmother as Hurricane Lorraine because she was a true force of nature: charismatic, fearless, unforgettable.
Lorraine Roberts grew up in Glace Bay, N.S., and was a true Maritimer. She exuded Cape Breton hospitality and was always happy to open her home to family, friends, acquaintances – even strangers. "No problem," she would say. "Just throw another potato in the pot." She was known for her delicious blueberry pies, and for knitting hats, mittens and slippers for anyone and everyone.
In 1951, she was introduced to Conrad Bonhomme by Marcel Clements; at the time, the two men were playing in the Maritime Hockey League, and Marcel's wife, Shirley, would become one of Lorraine's dearest friends. On April 16, 1952, she and Conrad married and soon after moved to Sudbury, where he worked in real estate most of his life.
Nothing flustered Lorraine, not even raising seven children, born in the span of 13 years: Doug, Alan, Lisa, Tim, Lilianne, David (Joe) and Pierre. Along with running a busy household, she did a great deal of volunteer work and held a variety of jobs, from working in the Eatons order office to a job in the Sudbury courthouse.
Grammy Lorraine was fearless. When driving or crossing busy intersections, she would often exclaim, "They can see us – they've got brakes!" Nor was she worried about getting into trouble, whether she was sneaking into an arts event without a pass or getting lost on the Los Angeles freeway. One of her favourite expressions was, "What are they gonna do? I'm old!"
She had an adventurous spirit and travelled widely, to Beach Boys concerts around the world (son Tim plays keyboard in the band), the World Figure Skating Championships, the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics (to see granddaughter Tessa play for the Canadian women's hockey team), and on romantic getaways with her loving Conrad, who passed away in February, 2002.
Grammy Lorraine had a huge heart. She was forever taking in stray cats or setting out food mixed with apple cider vinegar to cure the mangy foxes. She volunteered with the Elizabeth Fry Society and spoke often about the importance of helping others. Her 10 grandchildren would joke that you'd better not leave your bike at Gram's because she might give it away. She wasn't attached to material possessions and never locked her doors ("If you want to steal it, take it. Just don't break my windows").
She had a wealth of knowledge about history and current events. An avid reader and an excellent conversationalist, she had a quick wit, a sharp tongue and a hilarious sense of humour. She was a skilled card player, both in person and online, and took her hearts games very seriously (so seriously that she was once banned from an online game site for using inappropriate language).
Lorraine was definitely a free spirit, always marching to the beat of her own drum. While she has left a huge hole in our hearts, she also leaves a legacy of heart-warming memories and stories that we will be telling and retelling for a long time to come.
Chandra Ciccone is Lorraine's granddaughter.