“Never, never, never stop moving, even if it hurts.” That’s the mantra of Lorraine Ligthart, a young-at-heart (she won’t reveal her age), active, single woman who has had more life experiences than many. She may be small in stature, but she is larger than life. Not the least of her accomplishments, she is a black belt in Shotokan karate.

Ligthart grew up in Lewiston, but moved to Europe when she was young. Traveling the globe, she learned to speak three languages. She studied at Fordham University in New York and spent 14 years as a nun before she realized that was not her calling in life, so she “kicked the habit.” It was after that she realized she wanted to mentor children, never having any of her own. She became a teacher and spent 24 years at Pettingill Elementary School in Lewiston.

Based out of Boothbay Harbor, she and her former husband spent a dozen years sailing charters up and down the coast on their 50-foot Fenton Yawl “Saracen.”

“I know the coast of Maine like the back of my hand, but have yet to explore the interior as much as I would like.”

Her days of traveling the globe are behind her, but she still lives an active life. Her bike and her feet get her wherever she needs to go these days. “I have a group of great friends and I visit people everywhere. I have slowed down a little, but I don’t dwell on what I can not do, I look at what I can do.”

“I don’t have a lot of money, but am rich with values and I don’t let anything bother me. I can find a solution to anything.”

Ligthart spends her spare time playing games and doing puzzles now, but her favorite thing to do is go for walks and ride her bike.

“I don’t let the weather bother me. I go out rain or shine, every day. I just love to stay active.”

rdillingham@sunjournal.com

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