Remembering Lorine
Born Lorine Thomas on October 19, 1942, in Milledgeville, Georgia to Essie Lee Thomas and Otis Thomas Senior, she was the eldest of thirteen children. Lorine Walls was as some would describe: a woman who was loving, caring, strong, spiritual, beautiful, and exhibited grace. Throughout her childhood she worked several jobs cleaning houses and sewing clothes for the white families in the area of Milledgeville and took part in raising her siblings. Lorine was determined not to stay confined in the south. At the time Milledgeville, much like many places in the south was heavily segregated. Due to Jim Crow laws and segregation this proved difficulty for African Americans to have academic and financial success in the south. Upon graduating, Lorine opted out of attending college to go make a new life in Chicago which made her apart of the Second Great Migration.
After arriving in Chicago, Lorine enrolled in a seamstress school and started making clothes for plus size women. Recognizing that there was a market and honing in on her seamstress abilities to provide a service where retailers failed short. Sewing and decorating was second nature to Lorine, and provided her with the opportunity to become a self made business owner creating Lorine’s Draperies.
In April of 1963, Lorine married Willie Walls Sr., a railroad worker at the time, and the two lived in Chicago’s Greater Grand Crossing Neighborhood. Soon thereafter her family grew with the additions of their three sons: Jeffrey Walls, Willie Walls Jr., and Michael Carlos Walls. The family then moved to the Southside of Chicago on 98th and Woodlawn in 1971. Lorine was a best friend to many, mother to most, and spiritual healer to all. Her faith guided her in many facets of her life and was the foundation of her company. She was an entrepreneur, a woman of faith, and a creator. These identities of Lorine are not fixed as they flow, pull and push through the interpretations of many of the people she has touched. This site has been established to create an ever evolving portrait of a woman who has inspired many. As you move through these recollections, journals and transcripts, consider the diversity of the stories being told, the multiple perspectives being shared, and the impact that one single person can have.