Laraine Olson Simone

Laraine Olson Simone of Coventry died of liver failure on March 14, 2023, following a brief hospitalization. She passed peacefully and comfortably in the early morning hours.

Following her birth at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, during World War II, Laraine was raised in Irvington, NJ by her beloved parents, Edvin and Mabel Olson, along with her sister Elinor (deceased) and her brother Karl Olson. She was an excellent student and a majorette in her high school band. She went on to earn her Bachelor's degree at Rutgers University in Newark.

After a short first marriage, she moved to Rhode Island and began work as a state social worker, where she met and later married Alfred J. Simone of Providence, RI. They settled in West Warwick and had two boys, Michael and Kenneth. Following Fred's untimely death in 1982, she raised her sons on her own and became very involved in the local school system, helping to start West Warwick's first gifted & talented program. She went back to graduate school at the University of Rhode Island, coming just short of completing her Master's degree.

Through many difficult years and personal struggles, she found work she loved helping families and children at the West Warwick Senior Citizen Center, Boys Town and CCAP Cranston. Spending time with her grandsons Andrew and Adam was the greatest joy of her later years, as was her beloved cat Oscar, who passed just a few months before her.

She loved reading and watching mysteries. Always inspired by nature, she also loved travel and animal documentaries, watching the woods outside her window for wildlife, hearing about Mike's outdoor adventures and visiting Mike and his family on the coast of Maine. She liked to journal and write verse. For many decades, she also loved going dancing, meeting friends for lunch and cooking her favorite Italian and Swedish recipes. She enjoyed going to high school football games to see her sons play and later coach, as well as attending her grandson's soccer matches. Her children, grandchildren and step-grandchildren were a huge source of pride for her, and she took enormous joy from their accomplishments and milestones.

She is survived by brother Karl of Nutley, New Jersey, sons Mike of Belfast, Maine, and Ken of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, daughters-in-law Arielle Bywater Simone and Jamie Simone, grandsons Andrew and Adam Simone and step-grandchildren Willa and Jem Bywater.

Per her request, no services or memorial will be held. She will be remembered and celebrated privately by her family. Donations can be made in her memory to Anchor Paws Rescue.

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