Lorraine A. Santacroce, a lifelong resident of Newburgh , passed away peacefully with her brother Vincent at her side, on Friday Sept. 18, 2020, at the Kaplan Family Hospice. Lorraine was born in Newburgh on Nov. 25, 1933, the daughter of the late Armand Santacroce and Catherine (Caye) Mastrota Santacroce.
Lorraine attended Newburgh schools and graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in 1951. While in school Lorraine excelled in sports and aspired to be a Physical Education teacher. Upon graduation she enlisted in the United States Navy for four years as a communications teletypist. She also played basketball and tennis for Navy traveling around the country, and would play basketball at the Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh.
After she was discharged from the Navy, Lorraine entered Ithaca College under the G.I. Bill. There she earned her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Physical Education. During college breaks and summers Lorraine was employed by the City of Newburgh Recreation Department where she taught tennis to children and mentored adults in her evenings. She lived at the tennis courts in the summer. Lorraine began teaching physical education in 1960 at Bishop Dunn Memorial school and Mount Saint Mary High School where she had grades 3 to 12. She continued teaching and coaching until the High Schools closing in 1979. She coached many sports including basketball, volleyball, tennis, and field hockey.
Lorraine was asked by the Dean of Mount Saint Mary College to be the Athletic Director and to instruct her college students in physical education in order to fulfill their credits needed for graduation. While at the college she had the pleasure of guiding the Girls Basketball team in 1969 to their first tournament win. Although ceded as the underdog, Lorraine gave them the pep talk that guided them to the win. This memory lived on with Lorraine along with the memories of her players and their parents.
In 1981 Lorraine entered the Newburgh School System. She started teaching at North Junior High School and then moved to Newburgh Free Academy, eventually moving to Temple Hill Academy. Lorraine loved teaching and coaching younger children, and taught them sportsmanship, competitiveness, compassion, and team spirit. She, along with others, were instrumental in establishing the schools Olympic Games. She still remained in contact with her students and their families.
Lorraine retired in 1999, but this was an active retirement in which she continued to go to basketball and baseball games. Everyone knew not to bother her if Notre Dame was on TV. She played golf and tennis at the Powelton Club and loved lunches and brunches with family and friends. She was also an active member of the Newburgh Lions Club.
Lorraine was a devout Catholic. She was a Eucharistic Minister, member of the Sacred Heart League, and Saint Vincent DePaul Society. She would always volunteer for any activity at church. She was a member of both the Mount Saint Mary High School and Mount Saint Mary College Alumni Associations. Lorraine held special her relationship with the Dominican Sisters with whom she remains in contact.
Lorraine is survived by her brother Vincent and his wife Leona of Balmville; her nieces Robin Oster and children Jenna and Logan of Tallahassee, Fl, Toni Stutes and her husband L.D. of Lake Mary FL and their children Kayli and Jesse, special niece Amanda Schmidt and husband Maynard and their sons Nicholas and Cooper of New Windsor who brought much joy to her life; and her close cousins Elizabeth and Beth Glynn, Michael Glynn, Don Glynn, Virginia Petrucci and husband Mario of CT, and Joan Mastrota of Middletown, NY.
The Family would like to extend a special thank you to Elizabeth and Beth Glynn, Barbara Nucifore, Cathy Gaspard, Karen DeCrosta, Cathy and David Maksomski, and all of Lorraine’s friends who checked on her daily, prayed with her and for her and provided her with anything she needed. A special thank you to Bishop Colacicco and Tom Neppl, Fr. Jerry Orsino OMI, also Dr. Joseph George, Dr. Riaz Chaudhry, Dr. U. Patel and LIsa at her office, and Dr. Joseph. A special thanks to the Kaplan Family Hospice for their loving care.
Visitation will be held from 4-7 pm on Thursday, September 24 at Brooks Funeral Home, 481 Gidney Ave., Newburgh, social distancing and masks required. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 am on Friday at Sacred Heart Church, with burial following in Calvary Cemetery, New Windsor.
In lieu of flowers a donation to the Coach Lorraine Santacroce Scholarship Fund at MSMC. Please make checks payable to Mount Saint Mary College, 330 Powell Ave Newburgh, New York 12550, Attn: Lyn Frank.