A valiant fight! A wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, a granddaughter, a niece, an animal lover, a friend to many.
Her grandfather, Robert E. Van Sickle, was my mother’s brother.
As Aunt Nancy VS put it so well, ” a sad day for our family.”
When you hear the term”battle” in reference to cancer, Lori Lynn Baur Meli exemplified the definition. Despite metastaticbreast cancer, Lori planned each day of her life to the fullest. She sent us recordings of her singing a hymn or a Christmas song, always creative and musical. She and her husband Fredi went on her dream trip to Hawaii returning just Feb 7th.
They came through Pittsburgh last May and here’s the photo I took of them in Ritter’s Diner that night. It was right before she got to be honorary bat girl for the Yankees so it’s nice you can see the print on her shirt. She loved the Yankees. Especially Jeter. She called and asked if a newspaper could use the photo for a story about her and another one of the pictures from that night was in a show in the 1650 Gallery in Los Angeles last summer. Lori was pleased with the images so I felt pleased, too. And she made sure I got the photo credits in the paper and sent the hard copies to me in an envelope. Despite her diagnosis she was determined to live as long as possible, which is exactly what she did! She had a plan. Always. I will remember her first time in the batting cages in Connecticut a few years ago. She touched a lot of people. Here is an excerpt from her online journal– “Love really is everything. There IS nothing else. We have to let go off the other crap to begin to live in love and light, every day of our lives.” Her friend Jennifer pulled this clip- youtube video of Lori telling her own story.
A Bright Life Well Lived
Lori Lynn Baur Meli
A tribute.
She made the most
of the time she was given.
I’m a friend of Lori’s from college and live just an hour away from Fredi’s parents so was able to see Lori and Fredi on their last 2 trips to Switzerland. I love this picture of the two of them.
Alison Goolsby
So sorry for your family’s loss.
What a beautiful smile!
This photo is one of my favorites. It captures so much emotion – love, happiness, joy, excitement, connection, commitment – and that’s before you know Lori’s story. A sad day, blessed to have had Lori in your life. I hope comforting to know you brought joy into hers.
She’s a great advocate for women living with breast cancer.
so sorry for your loss.
I remember the diner picture from its first posting. Beautiful shot. So sorry for your family’s loss.
The picture and the words are a lovely memorial.
She looks so young. Her words are very inspiring.
Lori and Fredi look so happy in this photo. This is a beautiful tribute to a beautiful life. Lori would be pleased.
I too remember this photo from its first posting. So sad for your loss.
So sorry for your loss. Thank you for posting this beautiful tribute. Her words are inspiring and worth striving toward, every day. The video is also beautiful. Again, my sincere sympathy for your loss.
She was such a sweet person & he so loving:
your photo tells the story well.
Even though I didn’t know her, I can see from the picture and the things she said that she was a wonderful bright light, again cut short at an early age. Not fair…..
What a special person! Lori’s legacy will live on. I, too, have lost my better half to illness, but the lesson I have learned, is these chosen few, have discovered how to live life, with love and appreciation of every day, and realize nothing else matters.
A beautiful tribute, sending wishes of peace to your family.
I’m so sorry for your loss. Lori was one of my sisters in survivorship – we were diagnosed the same year. This is a sad, sad day indeed.
Ruth, I am sorry for your loss. I also remember seeing this photo when you first person. She sounds like a wonderful person.
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Hi Ruth, I love this picture.
I just found your tribute page and it made me very sad and tears started rolling down my cheeks.
We had so much fun on that trip to Cincinnati! Except the part in PA before we got to Pittsburgh, where we got pulled over. But hey, it was the first time that we’ve got a speeding ticket together.
I do miss her a lot…
Thank you Ruth
I just spent the last hour looking at things on the internet about our beautifula and brave daughter. I am so glad I came across this. I, like Fredi,have tears running down my face.
Thanks, Ruth!
Love,
Your cousin Martha (Lori’s Mother)
I just spent the last hour looking at things on the internet about our beautiful and brave daughter. I am so glad I came across this. I, like Fredi,have tears running down my face.
Thanks, Ruth!
Love,
Your cousin Martha (Lori’s Mother)
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