Lorine Ragon, 84, of Kennett Square, died Tuesday, Jan. 12, with her children by her side.

Lorine married the late Jimmy Ragon in 1951. He was the love of her life and they shared 53 years of marriage before he died unexpectedly in 2005. Besides Texas, they made homes in Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Italy, Louisiana, and California.  They traveled the world extensively visiting six of the seven continents.

Born and raised in Marshall, Texas, Lorine met Jimmy on a blind date, and they married six weeks later. Her adventurous spirit was the perfect complement to Jimmy’s nomadic career as a civil engineer. While raising three children in those early years Lorine completed college. She made sure that her studies never interfered with the time that she gave her children by attending evening classes. She graduated from the University of Delaware in 1970 with a degree in education and taught fifth grade math and science in Wilmington, until the family moved to Italy in 1973 so that Jimmy could manage the construction of an Astra-Zeneca chemical plant outside of Milan.

Moving to Italy with three children was a challenge but Lorine met it with the courage and grace she demonstrated throughout her life and turned that challenge into an opportunity for adventure. Besides traveling large parts of Europe with the whole family jammed into a small station wagon, other highlights included negotiating the purchase of a whole turkey (including the head) from a local butcher for an American-style Thanksgiving dinner, racing home across the Swiss Alps in record time to meet the Sunday driving curfew due to the oil shortages of the 1970s, and savoring all the varieties of Italian red wine.

Upon return to the United States Lorine pursued her real estate license and was a successful realtor for B. Gary Scott Realty. In her free time Lorine was an avid gardener who fought, and most-often won, the constant battles with the local deer. She was an extremely competitive bridge player and continued to travel across the world.

Whenever Jimmy and Lorine visited far-flung places they always returned home with a small cache of local mementos and interesting stories of the different cultures that they shared with the family. After Jimmy passed, Lorine continued her world-wide travel with friends from Pennsylvania and family from Longview, Texas creating new memories and experiences.

More than anything Lorine was a devoted grandmother to her six grandchildren who she adored and doted on from the moment they were born: Caitlin Graney, Erin Graney, Daniel Graney, Sam Obaditch, Emily Obaditch, and William Obaditch. She passed on her love of games to her grandchildren by regularly beating them in poker, Mexican Train, dominoes, rummy, and pinochle. She made costumes, traveled with two Flat Stephanies and one Flat Steven, and dug worms for fishing trips.  Her grandchildren will forever remember all the themed Christmas Eves at her house including Hula Hoop Christmas, Harmonica Christmas, and Paper Plane Christmas just to name a few.

Lorine was a strong woman of faith and never doubted that after this life she would join her beloved Jimmy in Heaven singing in perfect key to honor our Savior.

Lorine is survived by her three children: Cheryl R. Graney and her husband, Daniel, of Glen Mills, Jon C. Ragon and his wife, Angela, of Kennett Square, and Susan Obaditch and her husband, Jeremy of Montclair, N.J. She is also survived by her brother Richard Brown of Marshall, Texas, and her beloved aunt, Jean Keasler of Longview, Texas.

Due to pandemic restrictions services will be private.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675, or online at  https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/donate.

To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com

Arrangements by the Kuzo Funeral Home, Kennett Squa