Lori Beth Marsh (Wyatt)
(1975 - 2009)

Lori Beth Wyatt born at 7:25 PM to Roger and Loretta (Siffring) Wyatt in York, Nebraska. Her parents are 42 and 43. Her brother Doug is 16 and her sister Sue is 22.

Lori baptized by Pastor E.A. Prange. Doug, Sue, and Melvin and Betty Schulz are sponsors.

Emmanuel Lutheran calls Joe Marsh to be its new pastor. Lori's mother Loretta is church secretary during this time. At age 9, son Allen Marsh doesn't spend much time with 4-year-old Lori. Yet.

Lori's brother Doug marries Kathryn Renea Ocken. Lori is a flower girl.

Lori enrolls in Kindergarten at Emmanuel School. Al enrolls in 5th grade.

Niece Ashley Renea Wyatt born.

The Marsh family moves from Nebraska to Wisconsin.

Nephew Benjamin Wyatt Leif born.

Nephew Taylor Lee Wyatt born.

Al graduates from Antigo High School. Lori graduates from 6th grade.

Al attends Concordia College in St. Paul Minnesota.

Al begins Air Force basic training.

Lori's confirmation at Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Her confirmation verse is Acts 16:31 -- "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household."

Lori has her appendix out.

Al begins a 3-year tour of duty in Hawaii.

Lori starts high school but develops severe stress headaches and has to take a month-long absence from school. After endless tests and a trip to the Mayo Clinic, she is finally diagnosed and trained in biofeedback treatment.

Lori inducted into National Honor Society.

Lori joins the York High School Concert Choir.

Nephew Tobin Lee Wyatt born.

Lori flies to Veracruz, Mexico as an exchange student.

Lori returns home to the United States.

Niece Brianna Elizabeth Leif born.

Al is reassigned to Omaha.

Lori graduates from York High School with honors.

Lori begins classes at Creighton University in Omaha as a pre-med major.

Lori's father Roger dies suddenly while recuperating from heart surgery.

Al is honorably discharged from the Air Force and moves into an apartment next door to former Emmanuel Lutheran grade school teacher Lois Hanusa.

Lori's first grade teacher Lois Hanusa and fifth grade teacher Gretchen Foth engineer a meeting between Al and Lori. Within a matter of weeks the two are inseparable.

Al works as secretary for Creighton (and UNO) Campus Pastor Jim Cavener at Lutheran Campus Ministry.

Lori works as a science demonstrator at Omaha Children's Museum, where her duties include handling giant Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Al proposes to Lori around this time.

Fed up with Creighton, Lori decides to transfer to Concordia St. Paul, where friend Liane Bade is attending, along with Al's brother Pat and sister Amy. Al stays in Omaha.

Lori performs as part of the chorus in the CSP production of "Oklahoma!"

Lori and Al married at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in York. Al's dad and Pastor Cavener officiate.

Honeymoon in Estes Park, Colorado.

Al & Lori move into married housing at Concordia St. Paul.

Al & Lori buy first house in Golden Valley, Minnesota. Lori actually signs the papers in the hospital just prior to gallbladder surgery.

First disaster - a fire caused by an unattended candle in the bedroom. Bed destroyed and several thousand dollars in smoke damage, including most of Lori's clothes. Fire department extinguishes fire and throws mattress into backyard. Al moves mattress to shed, which reignites during the night and burns down shed. A less-than-amused fire department returns and extinguishes second fire.

First wedding anniversary trip to visit Al's uncle and aunt in Seattle. Far from idyllic, Lori and Al have a fight and she storms out of the house and walks to a motel, where she spends the night. Al tracks her down and they make up.

Lori receives her Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Concordia University.

Lori works as an activities coordinator at Mount Olivet Nursing Home in Minneapolis.

Al works as a flight attendant for a year, which allows Lori to fly to Nebraska at will. She visits her family a lot during this year.

Lori's mother Loretta retires.

Lori works as director of music at First Lutheran Church of Crystal in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

Lori travels to Phoenix to visit Liane & David Brinkman and Uncle Gene & Aunt Betty.

Daughter Lillian Rose born in Fridley, Minnesota.

Al works at CaptionMax, a TV closed captioning company.

Lori collapses and is rushed to the hospital. After a long stay she is tentatively diagnosed as having a rheumatological condition, which eventually turns out to be systemic lupus erythematosus.

Lori's mother Loretta moves in to help out with the baby and Lori's illness.

The family moves to Springfield, Missouri, in search of cheaper real estate and warmer weather, as cold weather is bad for lupus patients.

Lori is asked to step in as Director of Music at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Springfield, a position she accepts despite her illness.

Planned trip to Seattle is scuttled by terrorist attacks in New York City, which cause all air travel to be canceled nationwide. Loretta dropped Al, Lori, and Lily in Kansas City and continued on to Nebraska. With the airport closed, they are stranded in Kansas City and manage to rent a car at an exorbitantly inflated prices. Packed for a vacation and unsure where to go, they end up driving to Nebraska instead.

Seven-day Caribbean cruise to Montego Bay, Jamaica and Cozumel, Mexico.

Lori resigns due to her illness and devotes herself to being a full-time stay-at-home mother and lupus patient. Her decision is vindicated when she almost immediately qualifies for Social Security disability.

Al decides to audition for a play, and things will never be quite the same...

With Lori's lupus in remission, Loretta moves back to Nebraska.

Rehearsals begin for the musical "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" at the Vandivort Center Theatre in Springfield, with Lori directing a singing cast of 6, including Al.

"I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" final performance.

Lori's second foray into community theater as a musical director, "Man of La Mancha," this time leading a singing cast of 17 and a 9-piece orchestra.

A tornado touches down in our backyard, taking out our fence but miraculously sparing our house. Many other homes in the neighborhood are completely destroyed.

Younger daughter Eleanor Susan born in Springfield, Missouri.

Moved to house on Countryside Drive in Springfield.

Lori's lupus flares up suddenly and her legs give out in church. She spends the majority of the remainder of her life confined to wheelchairs and her bed. Providentially, the next day a new king-sized Simmons Beautyrest bed is delivered to our house as payment for a series of mattress commercials Al did.

Surprise 33rd birthday party at home in Springfield.

Final trip to York, to attend brother Doug's 50th birthday party, niece Brianna's prom, and great-niece Reagan's baptism.

Lori is admitted to the Cox Hospital emergency room with severe abdominal pain, later diagnosed as pancreatitis.

Lori passes away at 10:52 PM after a 44-day battle with pancreatitis, renal failure, respiratory failure, and fevers. She is surrounded by friends and family, and the last recording she hears is the 1997 Concordia St. Paul Christus Chorus singing "E'en So Lord Jesus, Quickly Come."