Lorraine F Mc Gough

Lorraine F. McGough, 100, of Plano, Texas, passed away peacefully on May 28, 2024, after a long, adventurous, and healthy life.

Lorraine was born on August 26, 1923, to parents Mary (Rizzolo) and Charles Leslie Fuller in Waterbury, Connecticut. Being the oldest of two daughters, she learned the art of cooking from her Italian mom and the love of hard work and gumption from her English father. After graduating from Watertown High School in 1941, she went on to study accounting in business school.

After business school, she worked for Chase Brass & Copper Company in Waterville, Connecticut, during WWII and a few years beyond.  In 1947, she became reacquainted with a young man she had known since grammar school, Francis P. McGough, whom she married in Watertown, Connecticut, on April 10, 1948. The marriage produced a loving home for seven children - six sons and the youngest, a daughter.

For the next 33 years, Lorraine worked in their home, raised children, and supported her husband’s career as a U.S. Air Force officer. Her support of his career meant she laundered and ironed many an old cotton uniform, attended official events, packed and moved their household multiple times, from the East Coast to Illinois to Hawaii and back to Massachusetts. Her Yankee strength was most noticeable when her husband was stationed in Saudi Arabia for one year. She was left alone with four boys, aged 1 month to 5 years, and she had to learn how to drive.

Lorraine loved to laugh, was a wonderful cook, and was a constant source of love and support for her children. Dinners would last many an hour as the family would sit and talk about their day. The kids shared a goal of telling jokes and stories to see who could get Mom to laugh hysterically. Even after her long, hectic day, she always made time to read bedtime stories to the kids.

Lorraine also loved sports, which she learned from her father. Baseball, basketball, and golf were her favorites, and while she watched her favorite teams, she would knit and crochet. She knitted hundreds of dishcloths for family and friends until she was 98, as it helped keep the arthritis in her fingers at bay. She also knitted baby blankets, which were donated to local hospitals. She had beautiful penmanship and always remembered family birthdays and anniversaries with letters over the years. A family keepsake is the handwritten journals that she kept as she and Francis traveled the US in their RV. These journals are a real treasure trove of wit and wisdom.

Lorraine is preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Francis Patrick, and her eldest son, Francis James. She is survived by her sister, Alice Payton, of Waterbury, Connecticut; Donald (Leilani) McGough of Las Vegas, Nevada; David McGough of Nashville, Tennessee; Richard (Patricia) McGough of Waipahu, Hawaii; Kevin (Leilani) McGough of Curtis, Washington; Mark (Catherine) McGough of Plano, Texas; Susan McGough of Yukon, Oklahoma; 15 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.

The family wishes to thank all of Lorraine’s friends at Solstice of Plano and Grace Home Health for the loving care given over the last few years. Thanks also to Allen Family Funeral Options for assisting with the arrangements. The ashes of Lorraine and her husband Francis will be transported to Hawaii for interment at the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Also, a Catholic memorial mass for Lorraine will be held in Hawaii.