Family and friends are remembering Lorraine Presley, and sharing this remembrance with her community:

Lorraine Rachelle Chevalier Presley, October 21, 1941-January 30, 2024

Born in Victoria, BC to Marie and Edgar Chevalier. Raised in Mornville, Alberta, Canada. As a teen, the family moved to St. Petersburg, FL, where Lorraine graduated from high school. She wanted to go to college and become a doctor; however, her father would not allow it, because “she was a girl, and girls do not become doctors.” In 1962, while attending nursing school at a junior college, she noticed an advertisement for a stewardess job with United Air Lines and applied. She was the only woman of twenty-five applicants chosen for the job. She flew out of Chicago before transferring to Seattle in 1963. She settled in West Seattle and traveled the world – meeting politicians, celebrities, influential businesspeople and even an occasional mafioso! She shared many stories of her adventures in a world that was certainly a different era.

Lorraine met William (David) Presley, and they married in 1968. She had to leave her job due to regulations at the time requiring stewardesses resign once married. They made their home in West Seattle to raise their children Kari and Michael. In 1977 she chose to return to college, earning her RN degree then working at Swedish Hospital. In early 1980, she joined a class-action lawsuit against the airline for its regulation forcing stewardesses to resign upon marriage. The women won the case, and she gained her job back as a flight attendant with United. This gave her the freedom not only for herself to travel again, but her family were also able to travel. On occasion (for a change of scenery) she flew and lived out of Narita, Japan and London, England. She also flew out of San Francisco. Lorraine retired in September 2001.

In 1997 she and David moved to Grants Pass, OR. In 2008 she returned to West Seattle to be near her daughter and son. At age 65 she took an intensive three-month course to renew her Washington State RN license, working at Northwest Kidney Center. Lorraine returned to Grants Pass in 2019 to care for her husband. In January 2023 she was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma. After a year bravely fighting cancer, Lorraine passed peacefully, quickly and without pain, her family by her side.

Among her talents, Lorraine possessed the highest standard of entertaining, cooking, presentation, and caregiving. She was an excellent seamstress. Making everyday clothing, one-of-a-kind Halloween costumes, and designer-worthy formal wear. Her cakes were beautifully decorated and tasted amazing. In retirement, she volunteered at soup kitchens and medical expeditions in Louisiana, Chicago, Grants Pass, and Seattle.

Lorraine was a strong, smart, creative, caring woman who gave so much of herself to all
who met her and will be greatly missed, never forgotten. She is survived by her husband David, children Kari and Michael, her sister Colleen and husband (Russ), their daughters (Dory, Michelle), sister-in-law Sue Soderstrom, her nieces (Joy, Janet, Debbie, Michelle, Susan, Diane) and nephews (Kevin, Tom). Per her request, there will be no memorial service. Her ashes are to be scattered over Puget Sound and Paris, France.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, please consider a monetary donation in her spirit to any of her favorite organizations: Remote Area Medical (ramusa.com), Planned Parenthood, and Habitat for Humanity.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)