Laraine Kroner Larimer, loving mother, devoted wife, and welcoming bringer of smiles died last week in her Bethlehem home. She was 76.

Laraine was an active Lehigh Valley volunteer who worked at Catholic Charities Ecumenical Soup Kitchen in Allentown. She also provided loving care as a Lehigh Valley hospice care angel and sang in the St. Anne’s Catholic Church choir in Bethlehem.

She loved beautiful music of all styles/eras, from Perry Como to The Beatles to Michael Buble. She was always surrounded by her favorite melodies. She also had a lovely voice to sing along with.

Laraine was strong, independent and always managed to bring bright energy, liveliness and an effervescent spirit to each occasion. She loved her family, laughter and carrying the conversation — a family trait that will endure.

She cherished her time traveling with her late husband, former Morning Call reporter Terry Larimer, who passed away in May of 2020. Terry managed to work many of their outdoor encounters and love of sailing into his reporting. His 1997 Ports of Call series chronicled the couple’s two-month adventure (with Siberian Husky, Lexi) as they explored the coast of Maine and back.

Born in Leetsdale, PA (28 miles west from Pittsburgh) on Oct. 10, 1945, Laraine graduated from Quaker Valley High School in Leetsdale and then provided air passenger comfort and safety as a stewardess for America Airlines before landing with Terry in Bethlehem, while he was a student at Lehigh University.

Laraine was the daughter of Lawrence R. Kroner and Vivian Noland. Laraine was proud to share that her father was Chief of Police in Leetsdale and an Army military veteran.

Raising three sons and spending time with her grandchildren was her loving purpose and source of great joy. Laraine and Terry rarely missed the occasion to find a seat along the sidelines to support their sons and grandchildren at soccer/football/baseball/hockey games, track meets, and special events.

Though she grew up in Steeler country, more recently Laraine fancied cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles — a passion she developed over the years as Terry covered the team for the newspaper.

Laraine will be greatly missed by her three sons Glen (wife Sue), Craig (wife Pamela) and Mark (wife Susan); grandchildren Colin, Carrick, Ian, Evan, Emma and Jackson; brothers Larry and Don; and puppy Eliza.

In memory of Laraine Larimer, please consider a donation to :

Lehigh Valley Hospice
2024 Lehigh St., Suite 100
Allentown, PA 18103

The American Cancer Society
3893 Adler Place, Suite 170
Bethlehem, PA 18017

and/or your local soup kitchen.

Trinity Episcopal Church Soup Kitchen
44 E. Market Street
Bethlehem, PA 18018

In her honor … smile, plant something green and take meaningful trips with your loved ones.

Services: The family is looking forward to celebrating the lives of Laraine and Terry at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021 at Central Moravian Church (Main Sanctuary) in Bethlehem. Due to continued pandemic precautions, masks are required.

The service will be live-streamed. To watch the service, please click on the Photos and Videos Tab from the menu and then click on Webcasting. The Streaming will go live at approximately 10 minutes prior to service.