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Tribute
to a Special Lady
Ted Tripp
 Late in April, Lorraine
Cassidy of Haverhill and North Andover passed away
suddenly while watching her beloved Red Sox on TV. She
was the longtime wife of this paper’s Senior Moments
columnist and World War II veteran, Jim Cassidy.
They had been married 55 years.
I first met Lorraine in 2002 when Jim joined our efforts
to keep taxes from being raised through a Proposition 2
½ override. That campaign involved a lot of mailings and
phone calls, and Lorraine pitched in wherever she could
to help out. Being involved in a political effort was new
to her, but volunteering to help a worthy cause was not.
She was Jim’s constant companion as the effort
progressed, always ready to lend a hand where and when
needed.
For much of their life, Lorraine and Jim lived on Perry
Street in North Andover. This is in an older part of
town, near Rte. 495 and the Thomson School, when houses
were built to be cozy homes and not grand structures
dedicated to the developer’s ego. The home had a
quaint front porch with a large back yard perfect for
growing fresh vegetables. It was a reminder of North
Andover’s more agricultural past when life was
simpler and residents knew all their neighbors.
When I would visit, I would immediately gravitate to the
kitchen area. The round kitchen table with its perfectly
positioned tablecloth always seemed like the center of
the house to me. Whatever the reason for my visit,
Lorraine would always offer something to eat or drink.
Even if I had just finished a meal, I usually couldn’t
resist any sweets that were offered. Lorraine always
wanted to make you feel at home – in her home.
Jim has long been involved in veteran’s issues and
is a past commander and tireless worker for American
Legion Post 219. Not surprisingly, this meant that
Lorraine was heavily involved in supporting the Legion
and everything concerning veterans.
Most in town know that after every Memorial Day or
Veterans Day parade, all the parade participants would be
invited to the VFW function hall on Park Street for
hotdogs and soda. If you ever wondered who helped put the
food together and serve the hotdogs, look no further.
Lorraine Cassidy was always there to help out. Her
pleasant smile and welcome attitude always added to the
experience.
I will miss Lorraine. In many ways she reminded me of my
own mother and I would guess that others who knew her
would feel the same way. She was the kind of mother you
would expect to encounter in a Norman Rockwell painting
on the cover of an old Saturday Evening Post. She was the
essence of what we call the New England tradition of
hospitality.
Lorraine was never a congressman or senator. She was
never the president of a large company or a movie star or
a rock singer. She was more important than that. She was
the family bedrock on which our post-war society
prospered. She was always there for Jim and the children
during the good times and, just as important, the
occasional household emergency.
Many people in North Andover knew Lorraine a lot longer
than I did. While I only knew her for a few brief years,
I thought it was important to share these impressions of
a special lady with those who knew her and with all those
who have known somebody like her.
From time to time it’s good for the soul to reflect
on the important things in life and the people who make
it that way.
Farewell, Lorraine. May God be with you.
*Send your questions comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com
The June, 2006 Edition
of the Valley Patriot
The Valley Patriot is a Monthly
Publication.
All Contents (C) 2006, Valley Patriot, Inc.
We publish 8,000 newspapers and distribute in Andover,
North Andover, Methuen, Haverhill,
Lawrence, Dracut, Tewksbury and Lowell.
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Valley Patriot Archive
Prior Columns by Jim Cassidy
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