Lorraine (Mazerolle) Artabane

Lorraine R. Artabane, 78, of S. Abington Township, died Thursday morning at Geisinger-CMC, Scranton. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Thomas Artabane. The couple would have celebrated 52 years of marriage on May 27th.

Lorraine was born in New Brunswick, Canada and was the daughter of the late Rudolphe and Alma Pelletier Mazerolle. After receiving undergraduate degrees from both St. Basile and the University of New Brunswick, she taught high school before enrolling and graduating from the University of Ottawa School of Medicine.  Upon graduation, she married Tom, whom she had met during first year, and returned to Pennsylvania for residency at Harrisburg Hospital and eventually moved to Clarks Summit.

Lorraine loved to nourish friends and family with food – from chocolate chip cookies and gingerbread houses during the holidays to her chicken strips and barbecue ribs that were always requested at family gatherings.  Anyone around for breakfast would beg for her pancakes. Coffee, martinis (extra dry, straight up) and cosmos were her drinks of choice. She excelled at early Christmas shopping, but often misplaced her wrapped gifts throughout the house finding them just in time for Easter.  Lo would stay up all night reading and passed that love of books on to her daughter and nieces.  She was a practical joker, who was known to move your furniture around when you weren’t home, and always found a way to cheat at cards. She believed sunsets were painted by God and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the birds on her deck (cardinals were her favorites) and the flowers in her yard. In her younger years, she took on DIY projects – upholstering sectionals and making homemade Halloween costumes – there was nothing that she couldn’t fix.  Lorraine loved to dance and would cut quite a rug at Rainbow Cove in the summers.  She adored beautiful Christmas ornaments and never hesitated to help herself to her favorites from your tree.  Anyone who came to visit knew to bring an extra layer because she kept the house as cold as a meat locker.  Never one to let you leave her home empty handed, she was always trying to give those she loved all that she had. She was quick with a laugh or a compliment, consistently making those around her feel loved and appreciated.  She spoke delicately but her voice and message were powerful. Simply said, she made this world a better place. Nous t’aimerons toujours. 

Lorraine is also survived by daughter, Julie and son-in-law, Brett Cooper; grandsons, Jackson and Holden Cooper and granddaughter, Cecile “Scout” Cooper; sisters Claudette Ritter, Martine Dube, Beatrice Mazerolle (Rein Kivi); brother Denis; as well as nieces and nephews whom she adored.

She was preceded in death by her brothers, Paul and Ted, as well as sisters, Thelma Hunter, Cecile Gallant, Sr. Micheline Mazerolle.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations for Lorraine be made to the Boys & Girls Clubs of NEPA, 609 Ash Street, Scranton, PA  18510, www.bgcnepa.org or through Venmo, BGCNEPA. 

A private Mass will be held on Tuesday at 11am at St. Ann’s Maronite Church in West Scranton. Please follow our Website and Facebook page for a livestream video.

Internment, Sacred Heart Cemetery, West Scranton.

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