ABOUT LORI

Lora or Lori to many, grew up in a small town; Shelby, Indiana. She graduated from Lowell High School and obtained her Associate Degree from Sawyer College of Business.

Lori met Alan in high school and after five years of dating he finally asked her to marry him. She and Alan were married in November of 1986. After one year of wedded bliss, they welcomed their first child, Ashley, in September 1987. A few years after moving to South Holland, Illinois in 1992, they welcomed their second child, Amanda. A couple years after that the family left Illinois and moved to Porter, Indiana. 

For twenty-two years, Lori and family were members of Faith Church, where they met some of their closest friends. One of the things she loved to do was volunteering every week for the kitchen crew for Wednesday night dinners called Harvest Life. After many years, the family joined another church, Liberty Bible Church in Valparaiso where she helped with the hospitality team. If there was a chance that Lori could help someone out, she would. Helping people & hospitality gave her so much joy in life. Once the family moved to Porter, her two kids joined Duneland Swim Club. She became a swim mom, making sure that the team was taken care of with snacks, cheers, carpooling to meets and was often found on the pool deck, timing. 

Lori had many hobbies. Her favorite was baking and cooking. She would often surprise loved ones with packages filled with special treats. Everyone always looked forward to those special days in the fall when she would make her famous apple strudel. Another hobby that Lori had was crafting.  Scrapbooking, making hand-painted shirts and sweaters, sewing projects, and creating wreaths for every holiday were just some of the crafts she made. She loved being out in the yard planting flowers and growing a garden. 

Like many, Lori was afraid to go to the doctors because there might have been a bad diagnosis or issues with insurance not covering medical procedures. She ended up putting off going to the doctors for as long as she could. In January 2020, when visiting friends on vacation in Naples, Florida, a close friend noticed Lori wasn’t as happy as normal, and if you knew her, she was always a light of happiness and love for those around her. She was going through a difficult experience. She confided in the family friend that she had noticed a developing bruise near her breast. It was very difficult for her to discuss, because she always wanted to be a light and never a bother to anyone. The family friend strongly recommended Lori to see a doctor. Upon returning home, Lori went to the doctor and was diagnosed with, Stage 4 Metastatic breast cancer. Following many months of treatments with highs and lows, Lori was unable to continue treatments. On October 17th, 2020 Lori passed away. 

Lori Furmankiewicz, March 3, 1965 — October 17, 2020