16 www.CharlestonWomenPodcast.com | www.ReadCW.com | www.Instagram.com/CharlestonWomen mermaids or mermen wearing speedos. Wine, food, chatter, laughter and music pulsated under the sultry midsummer night’s sky. “The Mermaid Meeting was an unencumbered event,” Perry’s friend, Renee Odierna, recounted. “We didn’t feel self-conscious about how we looked in our bathing suits and we didn’t eat like birds. The experience was about the wonder of being a woman and celebrating our differences. Thanks to Lorraine, women who never would have met each other outside of the Mermaid Meeting became close friends. It was the greatest sisterhood event there could ever have been.” Odierna continued, “Lorraine was full of life and energy. She touched so many peoples’ lives in thoughtful and meaningful ways. For example, when our friend’s 10-year-old daughter, Sophie Rose, asked how old she had to be to attend the mermaid party, Lorraine decided she would start hosting an annual mini-mermaid meeting the following year for the next generation to learn about supporting one another starting as young girls.” Rose, now 13, recalled, “I remember our friends made up our own water ballet routines because we wanted to be like the mermaid performers.” Tragically, in December 2024, Perry lost her long battle against ovarian cancer. Before she departed this world, she left her mermaid decorations to TemplerSanders, who plans to carry out the mermaid and mini-mermaid tradition at the pool behind her new home, which she coincidentally purchased from Odierna just before Perry’s passing. And so the circle of life, love, laughter and women supporting women continues on, a testament to Perry’s legacy. Features Standing left: Theresa Templer-Sanders. Seated: Lorraine Perry with mermaid friends. July 27, 2025 Omar Shriners Auditorium, Mount Pleasant | 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. | TheCharlestonBridalShow.com
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