Born in Canada, Lorraine went to Ireland when she was 2 years old and grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Lorraine returned to Canada in 1966 at 13 years old. Lorraine married the love of her life, Randy Bergstrand, on March 30, 1974. Lorraine cherished their relationship deeply and would often tell stories to all that would listen about how “crazy my husband is for me”. They lived in Hamilton until 1977 when she and husband Randy bought 5 acres along the grand river in Dunnville where they raised their two children and many dogs over the next 45 plus years.
Lorraine started out as a successful small business owner, humbly grooming dogs from her home in Dunnville. From there, Lorraine was elected to Dunnville Town Council Ward 1. Lorraine then moved on to Regional Council for Haldimand-Norfolk before successfully becoming the last Mayor of Dunnville and continued on to proudly become the first Mayor of Haldimand County after it was newly formed. Lorraine was proud of her time at Harthill homes, and the work she did with Toronto Motorsports Park. However, Lorraine was particularly proud of the groundbreaking work she performed for the non-profit organization, the Haldimand-Norfolk Literacy Council.
Lorraine loved all life but especially her sacred trees, horses, dogs and the group of deer that frequently roamed her property. Lorraine loved to relax with a glass of Yellowtail red wine in front of her fireplace while watching Coronation Street with her husband. Lorraine had a strong affinity for Indigenous culture and surrounded herself with her favorite artwork which often included Wolves. Lorraine was known for her firm stance with her political views – she certainly did not like Trump. Lorraine had a small group of solid friends, whom she referred to as “her people”, that were there for her all the way through until the end. She loved you – you know who you all are.
A visitation will be held at JW Hart Funeral Home,Dunnville March 26, 2023 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Followed by a celebration of life at the Dunnville Community Lifespan Center 275 Ramsey Drive, Dunnville from 4pm-7pm catered by her favourite restaurant “Debb’s Cuisine”. Online condolences jwhartfuneralhome.com
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Lorraine was a good friend. We had some awesome visits and conversations prior to covid keeping us apart and I would have enjoyed more. I’ll miss her as will many.
Sending my heartfelt sympathy to Lorraine’s family and friends! May the happy memories of Lorraine carry you through this very sad and difficult time! Reunited with her beautiful mom Elizabeth who was my great friend!
Randy and families we are truly sorry for your loss of a wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She will be missed by all. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this most difficult time.
Our sincere condolences to Donna & family, you are in our thoughts&prayers 💕
So sorry to hear of your loss. She was a great person & will be sadly missed🙏🙏
Having served with Lorraine on Council I express my condolences to Randy and family. May she Rest In Peace.
I have so many fond memories of Lorraine. We worked together on many community projects and shared many common interests which she was passionate about.
She never did anything half heartedly and that was one of her best traits. She will be missed by the community , my condolences to all🌹
Dear Randy and kids. I was very sorry to hear about Lorraine. Looking back it was almost 45 years ago we all met. Many good memories. She was so kind, generous, patient and spirited. A beautiful person all around. Sadly I’ve been meaning to make a trip back home to see you both but now I’ll regret that forever. My deepest condolences to you all. Cherish the memories and all of her accomplishments. Sincerely,
Paul Newhouse
P.S. please text me your cell
905-484-1860
Sending my condolences.
We are so sorry to hear of Lorraine passing. Our thoughts are with your family. She was a great lady who did so much for our community through the years. Keep your memories close and share them often.
Lorraine was not just my Best Friend she was my person, my soul sister, my mentor when I was a teenager, we had many laughs together and John & I will miss her, she will live inside my heart and her memory will live on! Love you more!
To Lorraine’s Family and Friends,
We offer our deepest sympathy in the loss of your beloved Lorraine. We remember her as a strong leader, working hard to do the best job possible for the people of the municipality for which she served. She leaves a wonderful legacy of which her family can be proud
My heart goes out to all of you in this difficult time. My deepest condolences
Donna: I am so sorry for your loss. Lorraine was an amazing women. My deepest condolences.
Lorraine was a wonderful person, a credit to Dunnville always supporting us in every way possible and she will be missed by many.
My sincere condolences to the whole Bergstrand family.
My sympathy and condolences to Randy and all his family members at the passing of Lorraine. Having lost my wife to cancer I can feel the loss of your wife and mother of Nathan and Randi.
Sincerely Steve Godfrey.
My sympathy to Randy and family in the passing of Lorraine……having lost my wife to cancer I can understand the feelings of the loss of Lorraine is having on all of you……your family will help you get through this sad and difficult time.
My condolences to Randy and family. I will treasure my memories of the fun we had with Lorraine and my mother. Say hi to Ora when you get there!
We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to Randy and your entire family. We remember Lorraine as very strong willed Mayor who had a great sense of humour…..very sorry for your loss at this difficult time.
I think it is safe to say that there will never by anyone like Lorraine. I was lucky to have known her and learn from her. I love how Lorraine spoke her mind and you always knew where you stood with her – very admirable. She was passionate about politics, especially local. And she served her community so well through the years she was Mayor for both Dunnville and Haldimand County. Her spunk, her humour and her support of the underdog will be gone but not forgotten. Randy, Nathan, Randi and families, and Donna and family – we are thinking about you all as you deal with this tremendous loss.
My sincere condolences to family. I came to know Lorraine while she was Mayor of Haldimand and found her to be direct, jovial and committed to the local context.
I am surprised and saddened by Lorraine’s passing. My thoughts are with you at this time.
Sending family & friends who are who are carrying heavy hearts, my sincere condolences. Lorraine was a fierce woman who stood her ground, and she did it her way. Rest in peace, Lorraine.
Our deepest sympathies to Lorraine’s family.
Our deepest condolences to the family.
So very sorry for your loss.
Heaven has just gained another angel. I am sure that your Dear Mom was waiting for you with her eternal love for you. Prayers and condolences to Randy, Nathan and Randi and family. You were bigger than life, always a look-you-in -the -eye straight talker and had such a big heart. It was interesting that we shared a lot of similar ideas and thoughts about life. We were discussing various things at a meeting in Caledonia and I said, “you think like me, when is your birthday and you said February. I said “me too, what day ?” You said , the 21st and I said again, “me too.” We were two Pisces and that was awesome. I cherish my memories of how we met and that we were able to laugh over the years about them. I imagine Randy will remember those early days. LOL. May You Rest In Heavenly Peace Lorraine.
Donna, I am so sorry for your loss. She touch many lives while she was here and I’m sure her legacy will stay alive because of the hard work she put into everything she did.
Rest In Peace Lorraine, you’ve truly earned it
Randy, our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Sincere sympathy to Randy, Nathan & Randi. Also Gary, Donna and families. From all her family in Northern Ireland
Lorraine was of great strength to me when my Mummy and then my Daddy were ill. I loved the strong woman she was. Rest easy Lorraine 💔
Lorraine was a tenacious fighter for the residents of her community during her time in office. I got to know her well during her time on Regional Council. We were like-minded friends who could look at one another and know what the other was thinking about the topic of discussion. I appreciated knowing her and the trust she placed in me. Please except my most sincere condolences for the loss of this wonderful wife, mother and friend to many. Unfortunately, at the time of her celebration of life I will be away and unable to attend.
Rest in peace Lorraine 🙏🏻
Randy,Nathan and Randi my heart goes out to you and your family. I was so shocked to hear Lorraine had passed away. She was my young cousin and although the miles separated us it never separated the love we had for each other. When we talked it amazed me how much you remembered about ‘Back Home’ and you never failed to remind me of the day the cow chased us! I’ll miss you so much Lorraine. My sincere condolences to Gary and Donna and their families. Love to you all.
My deepest and most heartfelt condolences. Lorraine would always tell me to take care of myself and not sacrifice rest for work. She was a strong leader and did not hesitate to speak her mind. She will be missed.
Our sincere condolences to Randy, Nathan , Randi and families .
The Bergstrand /Teer families can be very proud of Lorraine’s contribution and many accomplishments to our ( her) community , Dunnville / Haldimand County.
Passionate , strong willed , tenacious , willing to take a clear stance on an issue regardless of political popularity – Lorraine did it her way .
Regrettably ,we are unable to attend the celebration of life .
Fred & Ellen
Our sincerest condolences to all the families. Lorraine was a beautiful person inside and out, we had lots of great conversations over the years. Always had a good laugh together! Cherish all the beautiful memories. Paul, Cathy and family ❤️
Dear Nathan and Bergstrand Family,
Sending my heartfelt condolences on the loss of your Mother, Matriarch, Sister, Grandmother and friend. It is never a good time to lose a parent, whether they were ill or not. May you lean on the comfort of the many memories of times you’ve shared with one another.
Josie Ainsworth
I first met Lorraine just before she was elected mayor of the newly formed Haldimand County. The transition board had dissolved the Region of Haldimand-Norfolk and geographically restructured the region into two counties of Haldimand and Norfolk. It was also a time when the province was downloading several services to the municipalities. This included emergency services and I had been lobbying for several years for improved ambulance service to Caledonia. I will be forever grateful to Lorraine and her council for listening to a concerned citizen and acting on it. Caledonia attained its own ambulance base and services were distributed fairly and equitably across the community. It was a challenging time to be Mayor of Haldimand County and Lorraine did so with tenacity. She was open-minded, intuitive and feisty. She truly cared about her community. She accepted her wins and losses with grace. She was a true leader. A woman who inspired and one to be admired. I am happy to have known her. My condolences her her family.
Sending our sincere condolences at this very difficult time. Hugs to you all!
Michele and Doug
Time cannot steal the treasures
That we carry in our hearts.
Nor ever dim the shining thoughts
Our cherished past imparts
For the memories of the ones
We loved still cast a gentle glow,
To grace our days and light our paths, wherever we may go.
I used to cover Haldimand-Norfolk for The Spectator and spoke to Lorraine a lot. She was always a pleasure to talk to for a news story, or whatever. I always looked forward to speaking to her, and I just talked to her in December for an obit on Keith Richardson. I admired her tenacity and, while she was a politician, she didn’t coat things and gave you her opinion, whether it ruffled feathers or not. I will miss her.
I am out of the country for her funeral. If not, I would be there to honour her.
Lorraine will always have a place in my heart for her dedication to Special Olympics. I only need ask and she was there when I needed her to share a speech, a meal or walk in our torch run fund raiser. She will be missed.
To Lorraine’s family. I’m so sorry to hear of Lorraine’s passing. I’ll always remember her as my dogs groomer. She was the best! She was such an easy person to know. I don’t think there was anybody she didn’t like. She will be sadly missed by many.
The world has lost a very special woman. I worked with Lorraine as her Clerk at the County. She was a real inspiration to me. She treated all her staff with respect and made me feel like I was an important part of this workforce. She would always say that the clerk was “the glue that bound the book together”. I remember her laugh and her spirit. My condolences to all the family and everyone who is mourning her loss.
So sorry to hear about Lorraine. Doug, if he was still here, and my thoughts are with you and the family.
Hold all your memories together close to you.