Lorraine G. Zanca

Lorraine Grace (Johnson) Zanca, 80, of Hudson, MA, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family at her home on Sunday, April 6, 2025. She leaves behind her beloved husband of 56 years Louis A. Zanca of Hudson, MA. 

Born in Maidenhead, England, Lorraine was raised by her late mother Grace (Soper) Johnson. Lorraine immigrated to the United States from England at a young age, settling in Framingham, MA where she attended local schools and was a 1962 graduate of Framingham High School. Following her marriage to Louis in 1968, they resided in Hopkinton for 2 years prior to settling in Hudson where they raised their family and have lived for the past 54 years. Lorraine started her career as a switchboard operator for New England Telephone and moved on to various positions within the telephone company before retiring from Verizon in 1997. 

Besides her husband, Lorraine is survived by her son, Louis M. Zanca and his wife Sheri of Charlton, MA; her daughter, Laurie D. Zanca of Charlton, MA and her 2 grandchildren, Michael A. Zanca and Louis A. Zanca both of Charlton, MA. Lorraine also leaves her sister, Susan Anderson and her husband Albert of Framingham, MA/Palm Coast, FL; her sister-in-law, Joanne Menard and her partner John Surprenant of Ashby, MA; her brothers- in-law, David Zanca of Hudson, MA, John Zanca and his wife Sheila of Berlin, MA and many nieces and nephews. Lorraine was preceded in death by her sister Valerie Bissonnette and her late husband Robert Bissonnette and 3 brothers-in-law, the late Roland Zanca and his wife Norma, Donald Zanca and his wife Winifred, and Francis Zanca and his wife Rhea, all of Marlborough, MA. She was also preceded in death by Pat Zanca, wife of her brother-in-law David Zanca. Donald is survived by his second wife, Eizabeth Zanca. 

Lorraine enjoyed many activities and hobbies, which included playing bingo, creating silk flower arrangements, competitive games of Scrabble, crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and playing various card games, including cribbage, which was a favorite she would often play with her husband Louis. She also volunteered her time calling out Bingo numbers at the Hudson Boys Club, a role she enjoyed just as much as playing. She also loved frequent trips to the casino to play the slot machines where luck always seemed to be on her side. Family and friends were amazed at the depth of her knowledge. She enjoyed watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, and would often correctly guess the answers before the contestants. Both Lorraine and Louis enjoyed traveling. Maui, HI was their favorite destination, and they spent many yearly visits there where Lorraine loved watching the whales from the beach. They also enjoyed several trips to Aruba, Italy, Mexico, and her beloved home of England. Lorraine will be remembered for her selflessness, always putting her needs second to everyone else. Her character was strong, honest “tell it as it is”. She will be greatly missed and her memory will be cherished by all who loved and knew her.

Visiting hours will be held on Saturday, April 12th, 2025 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Tighe Hamilton Regional Funeral Home, 50 Central Street Hudson, MA. A service and Celebration of Lorraine's Life will follow at 4:00 pm in the funeral home. Committal services will be held privately at the convenience of the family.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Lorraine may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org