Lorraine Fraysse
After 71 years of marriage, and a long and happy life together, Lorraine and Leon Fraysse passed away peacefully eleven days apart in South San Francisco. They were both 97. Lorraine, a third generation San Franciscan, and Leon, the son of French immigrants, grew up on the same street, Lawrence Avenue in the Outer Mission, and had known each other since they were five years old – they were in the same first grade class at Longfellow Elementary School in 1933.
Lorraine was born to Anne (Milani) Mahoney and Edward Mahoney. Childhood for Lorraine and her sister Barbara was full of family with a host of aunts, uncles, and cousins, most of whom lived in North Beach. She attended high school at Immaculate Conception Academy, serving as Student Body President in her senior year, followed by four years at San Francisco State College, where she received a bachelor’s degree in education and a teaching credential. Her teaching career began in the San Francisco Unified School District where she taught first grade. After taking a break to raise three children, she returned to teaching in the South San Francisco Unified School District where she taught Special Education at Avalon Elementary School and later first grade at Monte Verde Elementary School. She retired from teaching in 1987. Lorraine was passionate about teaching and especially helping students with learning disabilities reach their full potential. On most school nights she could be found in her favorite chair at home, reading and correcting papers, with an occasional chuckle.
Leon was born to Pauline (Zutterling) Fraysse and Marius Fraysse. He grew up on Lawrence Avenue with his sister Paulette (Polly), spoke French when he started elementary school, and was connected to the French community through numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins, many of whom were immigrants from France. He attended Balboa High School but shortly after turning 17 in June 1944, and right after D-Day, he left high school to enlist in the U.S. Navy. He completed boot camp at Camp Parks in Dublin and additional specialized training at the Naval Training Center San Diego to become a Hospital Corpsman stationed at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, assisting in surgery. After the war, he completed high school, attended City College of San Francisco, worked as a lithographer, and then joined the San Francisco Fire Department in 1951. Thirty-five years later, in 1986, he retired as a Captain. In the intervening years, he was stationed at the historic firehouse at 3022 Washington Street in Pacific Heights, at Engine Company 35 on Bluxome Street (the “Bluxome Street Express”), and at the quarters of Fireboat Company No. 1 at the foot of Harrison Street, among other firehouses. His favorite station was Bluxome Street, not only because it was a busy downtown firehouse, but because of the comradery among the fire fighters. He loved being a member of the San Francisco Fire Department.
Skiing in the Sierras in the early 1950s brought Lorraine and Leon together. They were married at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in 1953. In 1954, a son, Robert, arrived, followed by another son, Thomas, in 1956, and in 1960 their daughter Joanne was born. In 1961 they moved from the Sunset District to Avalon Park in South San Francisco, where they lived until moving into assisted living during the pandemic. Life for Lorraine and Leon through their working years involved hard work, putting three children through college, countless day trips all over the Bay Area and Northern California, and epic summer travel adventures and vacations throughout California, the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and the East Coast.
At the time of their passing, Lorraine and Leon were well into their fourth decade of retirement which was filled with travel in Europe, Mexico, Hawaii, California and the West. Between travels, Leon surf-fished for stripers and steelhead along the coast from Mendocino to Santa Cruz until he was 90, fished for trout on rivers throughout California and the West, was an avid vegetable gardener, and loved his daily walk that usually involved coffee with a group of friends. Apart from travel, Lorraine devoted her time to needlepoint, reading, playing the piano, volunteering at Filoli in Woodside, and planning picnics, parties, including the annual Christmas party, and other get-togethers with “the Camping Group” – her lifelong friends from college, who, in earlier years would gather with their families for an annual Memorial Day camping trip. Lorraine and Leon were the consummate grandparents – they hosted innumerable family gatherings for holidays and birthdays. They especially loved having their grandchildren over to “Papa and Grandma’s house” for sleepovers and taking them on day trips to many of the same locations in the Bay Area where they brought their own children.
Lorraine and Leon leave behind their three children and their spouses – Bob and Michelle Fraysse of Walnut Creek, Tom and Megan Fraysse of Lafayette, and Joanne and David Gordon of South San Francisco. They also leave behind five grandchildren – Anne (Fraysse) Doorley and her husband Ronan, Emily Fraysse, Madeline Fraysse, Elizabeth Fraysse, and Matthew Fraysse – and nephews, nieces, and cousins, all of whom will miss them dearly.
Their lives were remarkable in so many ways. They will be remembered for their immense love of life and family, and their humility, generosity, and kindness.
Their family wishes to thank Aegis Living San Francisco who lovingly helped Lorraine and Leon in their final years.
A private funeral mass was held at St. Veronica’s Church in South San Francisco followed by interment at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery on April 15, 2025. A celebration of their lives is being planned and will be held this summer. Donations in Lorraine and Leon’s names can be made to the Sierra Club Foundation (www.sierraclubfoundation.org), the Historical Society of South San Francisco (www.ssfhistory.org), South San Francisco Public Library (https://www.ssf.net/Departments/Library/Get-Involved), or to an organization of your choice.