Lorraine Whitson, 60, Assembler at CLASS

Lorraine_WhitsonLorraine Whitson, 60, of Haverhill, died Saturday afternoon, Jan. 2, at her residence.

She was born in Dayton, Ohio, Sept. 7, 1955, daughter of the late Ivory and Helen (Russell) Whitson. Whitson was educated in the Dayton Elementary school system, until her family moved to Andover, and she attended and graduated from Andover High School. She was employed as an assembler for many years at CLASS, Lawrence. She was a passionate fan of The Monkees, loved Disney Princesses and The Brady Bunch. Whitson made many friends over the years and that can be attributed to her warm smile and open heart. She was always the “queen of the ball” wherever she went, whether it was winning best costume at Halloween parties or dancing the night away at community dances. One of her fondest memories was a trip to Walt Disney World for her 50th birthday with her friend Kim, and dining with Cinderella.

Whitson is survived by a sister, Iva Dionne of Haverhill; niece, Amanda Eshelman; three nephews, Joshua Eshelman, Martin Dionne and Franklin “Skip” Call; as well as her dear friends who were like family, Kim Vicente and Lauren Hamilton and one of her closest caretakers, Sarah Benjamin. She also leaves her roommates Mary, Bonnie, Linda and Kathy as well as the many support staff in her home, who loved and cared for her.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend a memorial service on a day to be determined. Her family requests that all attendees wear pink or purple which were her favorite colors. In lieu of flowers contributions in her memory may be made to Best Buddies, 45 Bromfield St, 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02108.