Rev.Lorraine M. Dughi, 95, of Hackettstown died Sunday, July 18, 2021 at her home. Rev. Dughi was born October 2, 1925 in Newton, NJ. She was the daughter of the late Claude E. and Bertha (Moser) Mazuy.

Lorraine served as Associate Pastor at Saint Peters Episcopal Church in Clifton, NJ before retiring. She and her late husband William Gordon Dughi and their 3 children came to Hackettstown in 1968 moving here from Rainbow Lakes in Parsippany. Lorraine attended Saint Elizabeth’s High School and went on to graduate from Saint Elizabeth’s College in 1946.  After graduation, Lorraine worked in New York City.  While there, she met William Gordon Dughi and they married on May 5, 1951. Gordon and Lorraine had three children, Scott, Peter and Yvonne.

Lorraine became a teacher at St. John’s School in Mountain Lakes. She went back to William Paterson College to further her education and then became a substitute teacher for schools in Warren County. Following that she taught full time at the Liberty Township Elementary School, teaching English and Social Studies.  Her last year at Liberty School was as the school librarian.  Lorraine loved to travel. As a child, she traveled with her parents to Europe every year until WW2 began and then resumed the trips afterwards. Throughout her 42-year marriage, she and Gordon took many trips together and after his death she continued to travel the world, seeing every continent but Antarctica.

In addition to her parents, Claude and Bertha and her husband Gordon she is predeceased by her son Peter Dughi and her half-brother Frank.

Lorraine is survived by her son, Scott Dughi, her daughter Yvonne Dughi Peterson, her daughter-in-law Karen Dughi; also 6 grandchildren Brian Dughi and his partner Paula Schmitzer,  Linda Dughi, Mary Elizabeth Peterson and her husband John Cluverius, Jonathan Peterson and his wife Allison Peterson, Matthew Dughi, and Emma Paugh and her husband Randy Paugh; also 8 great grandchildren, Nicholas, Nathan, Katherine, Alexia, Theodore, Christopher, Addison and Kobe; and her niece Susan Martin.

After her retirement and before being called to pursue her Masters in Divinity, Lorraine worked with various volunteer organizations in the Hackettstown area, such as RSVP, Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice and our local Meals on Wheels.  As a result she was awarded the Warren County Senior Hall of Fame award.  Lorraine Dughi received a Master of Divinity Degree from Drew Theological School, Madison, New Jersey in 2002.  To fulfill the diocesan requirements for formation in an Episcopal Seminary, she attended classes at the General Theological Seminary in New York City.  Upon her graduation from Drew, she began to work at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Clifton, New Jersey and later at Trinity Episcopal Church in Kearny, New Jersey.  She was ordained to the deaconate on June 12, 2004 and to the priesthood on March 25, 2006.  She is the oldest woman ever to be ordained in the Episcopal Church. Mother Lorraine felt called by God to minister to senior citizens and focused her priestly ministry in that community.  At both St. Peter’s Church and Trinity Church, she started support groups for Senior Citizens.  The St. Mary Magdalene Monday Morning Group, called the M & M’s, regularly gathered for prayer, conversations and outreach to other senior citizens in nursing homes.  These women would create gift bags to bring to nursing home residents whom they would regularly visit when Mother Lorraine would celebrate the Holy Eucharist at different facilities.  She collaborated with the ministries of St. Peter’s Haven in Clifton, New Jersey, working at the Food Pantry, assisting in the Thanksgiving Food Distributions and modeling a crown and scepter created from dollar bills at the Tricky Tray Fund Raiser for St. Peter’s Haven.  When she retired from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, she continued her ministry for seniors at Chestnut Hill Nursing Home in Passaic, the House of the Good Shepherd and Heath Village both in Hackettstown, New Jersey.  In her retirement from active priestly ministry, she found a home among the Sisters of the Community of St. John Baptist in Mendham, New Jersey.  Not only did Mother Lorraine worship with the sisters she also celebrated the Holy Eucharist as well as affiliated herself with the community by becoming an Oblate, an Associate Member with a commitment to a life of prayer and service.  After retirement from St. Peter’s, Lorraine continued her ministry by participating in leading worship services at Chestnut Hills Nursing Home, Health Village and House of Good Shepherd.

Private services will be held at the convenience of the family.  In lieu of flowers memorial donations to the Community of Saint John Baptist at P.O. Box 240 Mendham, NJ 07945; or csjb.org would be appreciated.