Lorraine Driver

Waltham – Mrs. Lorraine (Layes) Driver, of Waltham, died Saturday, September 7, 2013 at her home. She was 66.

Lorraine was born in Bridgeport, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia on March 21, 1947, a daughter of the late Francis and Mary (MacIssac) Layes. She moved with her family to the States in 1960 and they settled in Brookline where she graduated from Brookline High School in 1965. It was there that she met her future husband, Charles F. Driver, Jr., and the couple married on October 12, 1968 at Saint Anthony's Church in Allston. Two years later Charlie and Lorraine moved to Waltham where they've lived since and raised their family.

A lifelong learner, Lorraine earned an associate's degree in nursing at Bunker Hill Community College in 1981 and two years later was awarded a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Massachusetts at Boston. She loved being a student and indulged her passion for knowledge by achieving a master's degree in education from Cambridge College.

For thirty-one years Lorraine worked as registered nurse at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge where the cares, concerns and condition of her patients always came first. She also committed her time and nursing skills to Hearth of Boston, an agency founded as The Committee to End Elder Homelessness, which since its founding in 1991 has relied on the selfless giving of professionals like Lorraine to help elders achieve a measure of dignity, good health and self-reliance throughout the city.

Lorraine also worked for the past two years as the Director of Education for the Body Language Institute in Washington, D.C.

Throughout her life however her greatest energies were devoted to Charlie and their family of three girls. She was a talented seamstress able to create and mend her family's clothing even as she kept busy outside the house. Vacations were special times for the entire family . . . camping at Lake Manchaug in Douglas . . . cross county trips in an R.V. . . and time spent at the family home in Wells, Maine all created a lifetime of cherished memories.

Charlie and Lorraine enjoyed traveling throughout the United States and Europe, hiking and downhill skiing in New Hampshire, white water rafting and scuba diving and snorkeling in Aruba and in the adjacent island of Bonaire. She also possessed a joy within herself for dancing and listening to music of all genres.

In addition to her husband of forty-five years, Charlie, she leaves her children, Janine M. Driver and her husband, Leif Larson, of Alexandria, Virginia, Kerry A. Strollo and her husband, Dan, of Lexington and Caileen M. Horrigan and her husband, Michael, of Natick; her nine grandchildren to whom she was lovingly known as Gram, Deirdre, Bella, Jake, Angus, Thomas, Eleanor, Abigail, Brooke and Charles and her sister, Geraldine O'Neil of Brooklyn, Connecticut.

Lorraine was also a sister of the late Francis, Mary and Marilyn Layes.

Family and friends will honor and remember Lorraine's life by gathering for calling hours in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham on Wednesday, September 11th from 4 to 8 p.m. and again at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning before leaving in procession to Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Church, 880 Trapelo Road, Waltham where her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in Mount Feake Cemetery, Waltham.