Obituary
Lorraine Mildred Drasser, 77, of Cape Coral, Florida, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 7, 2023, following a long illness. Lorraine was born on November 27, 1945 and raised in New Hyde Park on Long Island, NY, the daughter of her loving parents, the late Charles Albert and Mildred Helen Drasser.
Lorraine was a graduate of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. She began her commercial banking career in New York but spent the majority of it at Israel Discount Bank in Beverly Hills, California until she retired from her position as Senior VP/Chief Credit Officer in 2018. Following her retirement, she moved to her family’s home in Cape Coral, Florida, where she resided with her beloved dog, Max.
Lorraine is preceded in death by her loving brother, Charles G. Drasser and sister-in-law, Janis Jewell Drasser. She leaves behind an uncle and numerous cousins and will be greatly missed. Her family extends its sincere thanks to Lorraine’s dear friend Tierney, for her compassionate care and Smoothie King Smoothies during Lorraine’s final years. The family also wishes to acknowledge Lorraine’s cherished traveling companion, Margaret, for her decades-long friendship, and Lorraine’s treasured friend and confidant, Brian.
A smart, independent, and savvy woman, Lorraine has been described by friends and co-workers as a “force of nature” and a “true mentor, friend and family.” She was generous, cherished her co-workers, and delighted in surprising their children with gifts at Christmastime. Lorraine was an avid reader and enjoyed water cruises, living by the water, and relaxing at her timeshares along the east coast of Florida.
A private remembrance will be held in the future. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Lorraine’s memory to your local PBS station.
I met you in 2009 when I started at IDB and was awed by your business acumen and banking experience. Over the years we became close, started with our love of books and our friendship became stronger; when I left IDB I remember you would drive over to the new work place and we would meet for lunch and exchange books.
Returning to IDB was great; I got to see you every day and we would always get together even for a few minutes to catch up on events and books of course. Our friendship continued through your retirement and move to Florida where I was supposed to settle there with you and we would become the second set of the "Golden Girls".
You have left a huge void in my life; you were my anchor and confidante; your kindness, loyalty, friendship and generosity epitomized the wonderful and genuine person that you are. I will miss our talks your sage advice and sense of humor.
I love you dearly my friend, you will be missed greatly. Rest in Peace.
Nora
I will be forever grateful to her .I know she in a happy place. She will be always in my memory ❤️
Parissa Farahmand
Lorraine at Grandma Kacin's 75th birthday party (March 1975)
Lorraine and female cousins at Grandma Kacin's 75th birthday party (March 1975)
With love,
Janet
Reflecting on your life, we are so proud of your trailblazing career in commercial banking and the people you helped and mentored during your lifetime. Our hearts are warmed by the kind remembrances being shared by your friends and co-workers.
After your work took you to California, we missed having you in our lives more often. We very much cherish memories of those times you were able to be with us and especially enjoyed having you make the trip to attend our 50th Wedding Anniversary cruise around Manhattan on the Yacht “Excalibur” on that clear, crisp September day.
You are loved and will continue to be in our hearts and prayers.
Aunt Virginia & Uncle Bill
Hi Lorraine,
You are not with us but I see you as I saw you over 20 years ago. It was in a party and I participated through Bank Leumi. You reached me, said hi and asked me to join you, then presented me to a man that I think he was the IDB’s chief lending officer, and told him: “This is the guy that we have to have in IDB”.
It took 2-3 more years and what you had predicted, happened.
We worked together very closely, we laughed and screamed on each other, but always you were the one that I could rely on, discuss and consult with.
You took care of your team and were like a mother for them. Every year you bought gifts for all the staff, and sometimes also for yourself . Your knowledge, humanity and generosity were exceptional. I will miss you. Rest in peace.
With love Moti
My kids still have many of the books that you purchased for them at the library book sales. You gave my kids (as well as many other children of our office) so many books. I remember asking you once if you read all the books you gifted to our kids, and you responded "I read every single one before I give them to the kids". Audrey and Jacob also have fond memories of when they used to come to visit the office and you would show them things, make "art" together, and read books to them.
In our professional relationship, you have been a tremendous resource, and I learned so much from you. You taught me credit skills and how to be a great banker; advocating for your clients, while still protecting the bank, which was an art that you mastered. I also learned how to make sure my character fonts, paragraphs, and margins were precise, just as you liked them.
After your retirement, I was happy that you could return to the place you enjoyed most in Florida, where you enjoyed being in and near the water. I know that you are in an even better place now, and will keep you in my loving thoughts until we meet again.
Love,
Kiyoun
There are a handful of memories I have of Lorraine that standout, but the one that is worthy of sharing is the following:
Lorraine and I became avid watchers of reality TV shows such as Survivor and The Amazing Race. We were sure to talk about the previous night's episode of either and the strategies and outcomes we observed.
Given our mutual enjoyment of these shows, and her knowing of my sense of adventure, she approached me with the idea of us being a team and applying as contestants to The Amazing Race.
While employed at IDB, I took a trip to Kenya and Tanzania in 2000 and climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. She was impressed by this and thought I would be the perfect teammate.
We developed a script and made a video in Yoav's office that had a lot of humor built into it. We sent it in and waited and waited, with no answer to follow, but it was an opportunity to bridge a great working relationship into something more personal that made us both smile and laugh a lot.
This experience with Lorraine certainly stands out and will remain with me for sure. There are others, too, and I'll hold on to those as well.
All the best,
Your colleagues will always remember you for your incredible intelligence and insight and above all compassion for others.
We will miss you as rarely do you meet a woman who is so accomplished yet so unassuming.
Through your years in banking and factoring there wasn’t one person whose path you crossed who didn’t remember you and consider your not only a colleague but also a friend.
For many of us with your passing we have a lost a friend, a colleague and a role model.
I will take a piece of you with me to find my better self and in doing so your warmth, your caring and genuine concern for others will live on.
It was a privilege and honor to be your friend. I will always remember you and our times together. Rest in peace and know that you were loved.
Margaret
Her memories will always be with us.
Steve