Lorraine Fricka, 30 years at the Star, May 5, 2012

Lorraine Ann Rich Fricka, formerly of Washington, DC, passed away peacefully at Taylor Melfa House, Denton, MD, where she resided for the past three years. Born in Bath, Maine, she was the only child of the late Fred P. and Laura A. Dalton Rich, and step-daughter to the late Edward J. Bernier. Much of Lorraine’s early years were spent in Prince Edward Island, Canada, where she was raised by her maternal grandmother. She returned to the States to reside with her mother and step-father in Rockland, Maine, where she graduated from Rockland High School. Memories from high school, she always said, were her best and most favorite. The family moved to Brunswick, Maine, where Lorraine worked as a bookkeeper at Montgomery Ward’s. She also worked at the Bath Iron Works and attended nursing school at Deering Nursing School in Farmington, Maine. Lorraine proudly and honorably served her country in the United Sates Navy as a Pharmacist’s Mate, Second Class, and was based in Bainbridge, MD and Camp Lejeune, NC. Lorraine moved to Washington, DC in the late 40’s and graduated from the Washington School for Secretaries. She also attended a modeling school. Lorraine began her career at the Evening Star, later renamed the Washington Star, in the advertising department in the early 50’s.
She was part of the development and inception of the television magazine for the paper, and eventually worked her way up to assistant editor of the TV Magazine, working closely with the late Bernie Harrison. Her nearly 30 year career at the Washington Star was her love and her passion, and she greatly enjoyed being part of the Star family. It was a very sad and difficult time for Lorraine when the shining light of the Star was extinguished in 1981. Shortly after its demise, she went to work for the Washingtonian Magazine, where she was an editorial assistant for five years. On February 20, 1954, Lorraine married Ronald J. Fricka, formerly of Cicero, IL, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown, Washington, DC, where they were parishioners for over twenty years. They were married for 51 years at the time of Ronald’s death in June, 2005. Lorraine enjoyed traveling and visited many wonderful places, including several trips to Ireland, Hawaii, France and various provinces in Canada. She loved Rehoboth Beach in Delaware and would spend several weeks there every summer.