Lorraine Krusa

Lorraine I. Krusa, 80, of Glen Carbon, Illinois and formerly of Silver Spring, Maryland passed away at 1:11 p.m. on Thursday, February 23, 2023, at Anderson Hospital in Maryville. She was born in Huntington, New York on October 10, 1942, a daughter of the late Everett “Mike” and Frances (Gillman) Ireland. Lorraine married the love of her life, Christopher E. Krusa on September 3, 1966 in San Francisco, California after just one month of courtship. Her life as an educator and love for teaching others led to a career in education spanning 40 years. In 1964, at age 22, she received her Bachelor of Arts in French, from St. Joseph College in West Hartford, Connecticut, and became a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, West Africa from 1964-1966. After receiving her Master of Education in 1970 from South Carolina State College in Orangeburg, SC, she began teaching first in Sumter, SC and later in the Washington D.C. Public Schools. In 1984 she received her Master of Arts in Anthropology from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. eventually becoming the Director of Multicultural and Special Services with The Catholic University of America. Throughout her career she held several positions including serving as the International Admissions Advisor at University of Maryland and she retired in 2007, from Montgomery College in Takoma Park, Maryland as the International Student Coordinator. Lorraine gave many workshops and professional presentations throughout the years on cultural diversity, training for economic growth, immigration and all aspects of multiculturalism. She was a member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Washington Regional Task Force Against Campus Prejudice, along with many other conferences. After her retirement, she continued teaching others to read and promoted literacy as a volunteer for local colleges and organizations. She was a proud member of the League of Women Voters of Edwardsville and enjoyed volunteer work at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. She had a great love for the arts, enjoyed visiting many art museums, was an avid gardener, could fluently speak and write French and Hausa and served others throughout her life supporting civil rights for all. In addition to her beloved husband of over 56 years, she is survived by a daughter, Lisa McLaren of Granite City; two granddaughters, Kayleigh McLaren-Henry and her husband, Nicholas Henry of Yokosuka, Japan and Alexandra McLaren of Orlando, Florida; sister-in-law, Stephanie Krusa of Montauk, New York; many nieces and nephews; other extended family and friends. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a son, Seth Ireland Krusa; two brothers, Everett Ireland and James Ireland; a sister, Joan Ireland and a brother-in-law, David P. Krusa. In celebration of her life, a memorial visitation will be at Irwin Chapel, 591 Glen Crossing Road in Glen Carbon on Sunday, March 12, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. until time of a service at 2:00 p.m. Livestreaming of her service will be available to join on her tribute wall at www.irwinchapel.com. Memorials may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center ( www.splcenter.org ) , National Alliance on Mental Illness ( www.nami.org ) or to the Alzheimers Association ( www.alz.org ) and may also be accepted at the funeral chapel.

Obit Provided By:
Irwin Chapel Funeral Home