Lori Ann Schinnerer passed away October 2, 2026, at age 66. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and adopted to parents Walter “Walt” and Lucille “Lou” Schinnerer, with big brother David at home in Ft. Wayne waiting for her. Lori spent her youth in Lutheran School, and faith was always a driving force in her life. She loved sports and fishing as a young girl, and taught herself guitar after her piano teacher told her she was hopeless because she played by ear. That guitar took her many places, and made her many friends. All of Lori’s immediate family has passed on now, and she is survived by her wife, Kim (Stogsdill), whom she loved faithfully since 1989, and married legally in 2011. Kim’s family was also Lori’s family. She had found her birth family recently, but we did not have a chance to all get together before she passed. She has cousins still with us. Lori was so loved.
During her adventures. Lori made good friends all along the Midwest corridor, from Michigan through Illinois and Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee. Kentucky, and Mississippi. A few other states and countries as well. Lori loved Kentucky most, and we will have a private ceremony for her there, around the time of our family reunion next Spring.
Lori considered most of her friends to be her family, and many of them have passed as well. She lost some of her closest male friends during the AIDS crisis. I cannot mention everyone here, but if you knew her, she told you about them. She was kind, funny, and a beautiful spirit who welcomed most people into her life without hesitation.
She had a passion for the outdoors, but most of her jobs kept her inside. She worked as a monitor and dispatcher for Sonitrol Security, as well as several Answering Services. She loved catching the bad guys. She spent a short time as a truck driver, but that was really not her calling. She was not a good judge of space. Insert your own jokes here. They all apply.
She was a fierce fighter for fairness and autonomy, supporting the politics of humanity first. She loved political satire, particularly Randy Rainbow, who uses show tunes to make his statements. She was a Harry Potter super-fan, and loved Game of Thrones. She loved books and read the Bible regularly, along with all her fantasy fiction. She also was a big fan of C.S. Lewis. A lifelong lover of musicals, recent highlights included our trip to see Wicked on stage in St. Louis, as well as seeing Book of Morman nearby.
In the past months, dementia came hard for Lori. She suffered horrific hallucinations and then was peaceful and sweet as soon as those episodes passed. Past trauma came to revisit her, and there was plenty. But she didn’t share that in life, so we’ll not share it here. She chose to focus on love and lead with her heart, no matter how many ways hers had been broken.
Lori was the best friend a dog ever had. All dogs loved her and were drawn to her first in a crowd. She would sit, cross-legged on the ground, play the guitar, and listen to the birds sing back. There are so many things that I cannot put into words about what a beautiful life we lived. I picture her now, sitting on the ground, and all who loved her coming to listen to her play.
Expressions of sympathy can be sent to Kim at their home: 3632 Hartford Place, Evansville, IN 47725. God bless you all in the coming months.
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