Lorraine Ross

Lorraine Ross recalls moving to Coney Island on April 1st, 1973,  never imagining she would stay so long. Now 72 and retired, she first lived in an apartment on West 36th Street, where she raised her sons, before moving to Gravesend Houses, where she has lived since 1980. She describes working as a cleaner for the MTA at Stillwell Terminal for fourteen years, through snowstorms and after Hurricane Sandy. "I loved working outdoors. It's like a freedom that you have," she says of the job she misses since retiring in 2014. Blessed with a beautiful voice, Lorraine recalls performing at showcases and Peggy O'Neill's and sings a Luther Vandross song during the interview.