There are some people in the world who have a warm light within them. My friend Lori was one of those people. I first met her in 1984 when we both worked at World Vision. People loved Lori.
She was outgoing and friendly, and her Newfoundland heritage came out clearly in her sense of humour. She loved to laugh and had a fine-tuned sense of the ridiculous which only grew in the years that followed. She was well known at World Vision back in those days, and people would always want to chat with her and catch up. Lori was also a great listener. She cared about other people, which showed in her friendships and her commitment to World Vision’s mission.
Lori loved her work. It fit in perfectly with the way she chose to live her life, fully and generously with a focus on others.
Lori’s impact at World Vision Canada
I first became friends with Lori during a season when her health took a turn for the worse. Our boss at World Vision asked me to check in with her every now and then and see how she was doing, and how her work family could come alongside to help. What began as a kind of casual work assignment quickly grew into a deep, long-term friendship.
One of the final projects she did for World Vision before her retirement was to connect with World Vision staff around the world, to encourage them in their work. She often received friendly notes of gratitude back, which meant the world to Lori. It was just the right job for our very friendly friend. She was even presented with the Encourager Award by World Vision Canada one year. Socializing was one of her great loves!
In fact, Lori went on to keep in touch with her wider community of friends and co-workers through a monthly email she called “Scribbles” where she would share an inspiring story from her life and poems or songs she had written. Often, those stories flowed out of her deep Christian faith and the comfort she received from God during her journey, especially with her health.
A legacy of compassion
Lori lived with a rare disease called Familial Dyplegia, a condition that impacts the legs and mobility. When people recall Lori’s time at World Vision, they might picture her moving through the cafeteria with her cane, chatting with co-workers.
Because of the progression of her disease, Lori’s physical struggles grew over the years.. She gradually lost the ability to speak, relying sometimes on a computer to help her communicate. Even then, Lori still volunteered to read scripture at World Vision chapel, our weekly devotional time.
Later, when I would walk with her through the long-term care residence where she then lived, I would see how popular and well-loved Lori was once again. On those walks, she would stop her motorized wheelchair and communicate by using her finger to spell out words in the air. Once again she knew everybody, and everybody knew her. It was heartwarming to witness Lori’s rare combination of tenacity, resilience and humour—the friendly, open way she moved through the world, even with challenges many would find so difficult.
In fact, instead of her reality making her bitter or unhappy, to those who knew her, it seemed that Lori grew even more compassionate and empathetic. She could relate deeply to people who were wounded, and suffering. It was probably that empathy that first led her to World Vision and made her love her career so much. She would have said that her work, which began in the early 1980s, was part of what gave her life such meaning.
As Lori’s world became quieter in many ways, because of her inability to speak to others, it became apparent to those close to her that Lori was drawing ever closer to God. It’s often said that prayer is more about listening than talking, and that was apparent in Lori’s life. She became a listener of God and received God’s love and comfort to her through that practice.
A lasting legacy
Lori built a beautiful life, and she lived it. She loved and was loved back in return. Lori died on Dec. 19, 2022. It was not a surprise to anyone that she left a gift in her will to the work of World Vision. Ever practical, Lori would have wanted to continue her legacy of giving in the most effective way possible. She wanted her passing to count in the same way her life did – by generously giving to a mission that she knew helped change lives around the world.
Giving to others and helping to build a compassionate world was such an important part of her life. She deeply and truly cared. I like to say that Lori was “a shiner.” Lori shone.
Lori wrote these lines in one of her Scribbles: "When my life down here is through and Jesus calls me to my home up there, beyond the golden shore. I’ll look back…and review.
I believe that if Lori was able to take a moment to look back from that golden shore, she would know how great her impact was, and that it carries on because of her generosity.
As told to Karen Stiller by Hazel, a former World Vision employee and a close friend of Lori's.