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Obituary for Lorraine Emma Dushane (Smith)

Lorraine Emma  Dushane (Smith)
Cohoes
Lorraine Emma Smith Dushane, 94, peacefully entered eternal life on New Year’s Eve, Sunday, December 31, 2017, with her four loving children at her bedside.
Born on VanSchiack Island in Cohoes, NY, Lorraine was the daughter of the late Alfred J. and Emma Coutu Smith.
She was a lifelong resident of Cohoes, moving to Our Lady of Hope Residence in Latham in 2006 and to Teresian House in Albany, January 2014. She was the beloved wife of the late William J. Dushane who died in January, 1995.
Lorraine was a graduate of Keveny Memorial Academy, class of 1941. During the war she was employed as a seamstress at Ben-nets Textile Mill in Cohoes, sewing Army orders. Also, she was skilled at crochet; she made very intricate tablecloth edgings, doilies, handkerchief lace, and afghans.
Lorraine had a passion for classical music and studied piano under Miss Ellen LaPointe from the age of twelve until her marriage in 1946 and she no longer owned a piano. Never the less, she became an accomplished concert pianist and performed in recitals presented by Cluett & Sons School of Music at Troy Music Hall. She also performed on live radio. In 1975 after raising her family and many years without a piano in her home, her loving husband Bill bought a piano for Lorraine, so she could continue studying music, which she so loved. She began taking lessons from Mr. Catricala in downtown Troy in the Proctors building. She enjoyed the challenge he presented to her and the opportunity to be working with such an accomplished pianist, and continued studying under Mr. Catricala until his death.
Lorraine worked for 20 years with pre-school children at Romper Day Nursery, Daycare, often playing piano for the children, and later was employed by the Cohoes City School District as a Kindergarten Aide, which she loved, retiring in 1984. Lorraine was a communicant and an active member of St. Bernard’s Church in Cohoes. She was the First Friday Coordinator, a former member of the Volunteer Nursing Home Mass and Visiting Committee and also a member of the Nocturnal Adoration Society.
She and her husband Bill enjoyed travel and drove across the country twice, visiting the National Parks and seeing our beautiful country. They also travelled to Hawaii, Canada, and for a number of years, spent some time during the fall months in Florida.
In 2006, as a widow, Lorraine relocated from the home she and her husband had built and in which they had raised their family on VanSchaick Island in Cohoes, and moved to Our Lady of Hope Residence in Latham. Living in a lovely apartment in the home of the Little Sisters of the Poor, Lorraine had everything she needed and more. In addition to the loving care and concern of the Sisters, she made many new friends and found some of her old friends from Cohoes there as well. She was able to attend Mass every day in their beautiful Chapel, say the rosary daily with a group, play in the bell choir and have the opportunity to attend all the spiritually enriching activities throughout the year that were so dear to her and that the Little Sisters offered. When the Little Sisters announced the closing of their Latham, NY residence, Lorraine’s family searched for a Catholic nursing home and ultimately found Teresian House in Albany to be a good fit for Lorraine. They offered Lorraine the spiritual comfort of Mass and the Rosary every day, which were central to her Catholic Christian life.
Lorraine is survived by her sister Lourdes Reiniger, Burnt Hills, NY, two sons, Thomas W. Dushane and Lydia Hinds of Burnt Hills, NY, Ronald P. Dushane and his wife Sheila, Troy, NY, two daughters, Joyce Bartlett and her husband Alan of Ballston Spa, NY, Nancy Pollard and her husband Jay of Saratoga Springs, NY; Eight grandchildren: Emma Reichart, Shelley Nichols, Sheri Dushane, Ginny Bull, Julie Wessels, Jeffrey Pollard, Jonathan Pollard and Torrey Pollard. Eleven great grandchildren: William and Sydney Reichart, Morgan and Jack Nichols, Victoria Lee, Alex and Ava Maxwell, Samantha Dushane and Abigail, Amelia and Grace Pollard, also several nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her grandson Scott Dushane.

Calling hours will be Thursday, January 4, at Teresian House, 200 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany NY from 10:30am to 11:30am followed by a Mass of Christian burial in celebration of Lorraine’s life, at 11:30 in the Infant of Prague Chapel at Teresian House, 200 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany NY.

The Rite of Committal will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, Waterford, NY

In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations to be made to either The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Northeast NY, 455 Patroon Creek Blvd Suite 108, Albany, NY 12206, www.cff.org/NortheasternNY/ or to the Teresian House Foundation, 200 Washington Ave. Extension, Albany, NY, 12203 or to The Little Sisters of The Poor, 1365 Enfield St. Enfield, CT 06082 or www.littlesistersofthepoorconnecticut.org/

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lorraine Emma Dushane (Smith), please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

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