Friday, February 14, 2025

Lorene Carraway Walsh, 64

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH — Lorene Charraway Walsh, 64, died peacefully at home at Wrightsville Beach, NC on September 21, 2021 after a 4 year battle with neuroendocrine cancer.

Cremation is being handled by Andrews Mortuary, Wilmington, NC. Service is planned for Saturday, October 16, 2021, 3 p.m. at Harbor United Methodist Church, Wilmington, NC.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston TX, Zimmer Cancer Center here in Wilmington, NC or Opera House Theater Company in Wilmington.

Lorene was born in Morehead City, NC on September 28, 1956, as the second of a set of twins to Luther and Dorothy Wallace Carraway. She started playing the piano on her own at the age of 4, was in the high school band while still in middle school, and was the accompanist for the choir at East Carteret High School.

She became a church organist at the age of 12, and played for churches almost every Sunday until about 3 weeks before she passed. She attended Governor’s School on the oboe. She was also the accompanist for the East Carolina Choir while there, majored in piano performance under the tutelage of Dr. Charles Bath, and completed the coursework and required recital for her Master’s degree.

Lorene worked for Resco, Raleigh NC, right out of college, where she met her husband Joseph Walsh. They eventually moved permanently to their house at Wrightsville Beach in 1992. Lorene was a gifted musician, and was well known in the Wilmington area for this. She was music director for Opera House Theater Company for many years, which she enjoyed tremendously. She occasionally played for other theater companies, as well as movies and movie auditions. Music was the great joy of her life, along with her husband and their eight English Springer Spaniel “fur-babies”. She also volunteered with the theater group at Laney High School, which she also enjoyed, and she worked in the office at First Presbyterian Church Downton Wilmington, where she eventually became office manager.

Lorene was preceded in death by her parents, Luther (Luke) and Dorothy Carraway, and her her husband of 37 years, Joseph Walsh. She is survived by her twin sisiter, Irene Carrawy Streng (Dr. David James Streng) of Gastonia, NC; her niece, Diana Streng Knipping (Keith Knipping) of Raleigh, NC; her niece, Laurel Meredith Streng of Raleigh, NC; her nephew, David James Streng, II (Anna Folkens) of Charlotte, NC; her grandnephew, Henry Liam Knipping and grandniece, Vivian Amelia Knipping, and various relatives living in Ireland.

The family would like to thank everyone for their prayers, cards, flowers, and good wishers over the past 4 years. It lifted Lorene’s spirit to know so many people cared!

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