Lorraine Melzer 1946-2018

Lorraine Melzer

My beloved sister, Lorraine Melzer (née Gutstein), passed away on what would have been my 49th wedding anniversary (Friday, May 25th, 2018) with my husband, Leonard, who passed away on December 17th, 2010 in Arizona, while on vacation. Lorraine and Solly were married in Grahamstown, Cape, in 1968, and Lennie and I were married in Grahamstown, Cape, in 1969. Lorraine and Solly left South Africa in 1970 for Israel. Lennie and I left South Africa in 1976 for the U.S. Lorraine was my closest sister. She was three years my senior. What a beautiful and bright young girl she was growing up. We shared a bedroom and she taught me all about astrology, mathematics, making fudge at night and about analysis. She had an explanation for life events .... no matter what. I called her 'Heloise' or 'Jewish Martha Stewart'. She was an excellent cook and concocted a lot of her own recipes. Solly was a lucky man. Together, they had two children in Israel - Tamar Krymolovski and Alon Melzer, and five grandchildren ... all adorable. She got a BA (Honors) in Social Work at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, and was a happy Oppidan. After a few years working as a social worker, Solly and Lorraine together opened Gallery Lauren in Sokolov Street, Ramat Hasharon. Lorraine cleaned silver and washed and starched heirloom tablecloths. They both adored running an antiques store, which still remains open today. At 65, she decided to use her hands in another way. She mastered piano playing and she was a brilliant pianist after a year or so. It is very sad that Lorraine battled an illness for five years before passing on. She saw it as a challenge and never lost hope. However, she was overcome in the end. Lorraine, I love you and will always miss you. You were my role model in MY LIFE!