Lorraine Joan (Ackerman) O’Brien of Nantucket, MA passed away peacefully of natural causes with her family close by her side on Sunday, September 20, 2020.

She was born on August 30, 1930 in Stewart, MN to George and Mary Ackerman, the second youngest of 14 children. She attended the University of Minnesota, and then moved to Chicago, IL where she worked for Dallas-Jones Productions, and met her future husband, Edward, to whom she was married for nearly 40 years.

Together they raised their family in Wilton, CT for sixteen years. Afterwards, she and Edward lived in New London, NH, and Providence, RI. When she was widowed in 1993, she lived in Wellesley, MA, before moving to Our Island Home on Nantucket, MA in 2016.

Her happiest hours were spent with her beloved family at home or on vacations to Cape Cod and Nantucket Island, MA. Lorraine was a devoted mother and homemaker for her family of seven children. She was a self-taught gourmet cook, who also enjoyed tailgating, along with reading, painting, storytelling, and political discussion. She was a lifelong Democrat. Lorraine worked at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, CT as a private duty nurse assistant, and assisted her husband throughout his career as a freelance industrial filmmaker, writer and editor. She also enjoyed volunteer work at the rosary guild at Our Lady of Fatima Church and School.

Lorraine was preceded in death by her husband, Edward A. O’Brien, Jr.; her parents and her brothers and sisters. Those left to lovingly honor Lorraine’s memory are her seven children: Michelle [Scott] Free, Barrington, RI; Colleen [Jeff] Clopeck, Falmouth, MA; Patricia [Christopher] Lynch, Medfield and Nantucket, MA; Edward A. [Elizabeth] O’Brien III, Nantucket, MA; Christopher [Michele] O’Brien, Rogers, AK and Nantucket, MA; Brian [Jill] O’Brien, Glen Gardner, NJ and Barry [Lolo] O’Brien, Syracuse, NY, and her brother James Ackerman, California. Her love, support, spiritual teachings, positivity, humor and pure kindness live on through her 20 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Our Island Home, Nantucket, MA, care of Community Foundation of Nantucket, PO Box 204, Nantucket, MA, attention: Friends of Our Island Home. A private family service was held on Nantucket on Wednesday, September 23, 2020. Due to Covid 19, a celebration of life will be held at another time.

Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home