May 26, 1939 – Oct. 15, 2019
Lorraine Madeline Reafsnyder, age 80, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 15, at her home in Laguna Beach, California, after a brief illness. She was a graduate of Star of the Sea Academy high school in Long Branch, New Jersey and came to California in her early 20s. She attended Rancho Santiago College and earned the honor of Valedictorian for her class. Lorraine received her bachelor of arts degree from Chapman University in Orange, California and Human Resources Certification from the University of California, Irvine. Shortly thereafter, Lorraine professionally entered the field of Human Resources.
Lorraine served as founder and CEO of HR Advisors since 1992. During this time, she grew the business to over 65 employees by providing HR services to over 1,000 companies during the last 27 years. Ms. Reafsnyder provided consulting services covering the entire spectrum of Human Resources, with a specialty in organizing and staffing complete Human Resources Departments. Lorraine developed and conducted in-house programs and seminars covering a wide range of Human Resources issues and was often a featured speaker at corporate management development programs and training sessions. Her passion for her work shone through in her enthusiasm to do the right things for her clients and for her clients to do the right things for their employees.
As a former president of the Orange County chapter of Women in Business, Lorraine was an early activist for women’s rights. She was a tireless worker for those who were underrepresented and had a deep and abiding sense of justice.
Lorraine also served as a former president of the board for the Orange County Symphony and presided over the organization’s growth and influence of this regional arts organization.
Lorraine will be remembered best for her raucous sense of humor and her energetic spirit that could not be contained in her 5’2” frame. When people met her, she would be greeted with, “I thought you would be much taller!”
Lorraine will be missed by all who knew her, but particularly by her daughter, Tracey, and husband, Ed, both of whom she adored.
A celebration of Lorraine’s life will be held on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020 in Irvine at 11:30 a.m.
Contact Ed Peterson [email protected] for further details and information to RSVP.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Lorraine’s name to: Animal Friends of the Valleys, 33751 Mission Trail Wildomar, California. For more information, call 951-471-8344 or visit www.animalfriendsofthevalleys.com.
