Lori Schroeder

Lori Helene Schroeder was a woman with an immense spirit, and this enthusiastic spirit made Lori a unique and beloved sibling, mother, and grandmother, as well as a friend to a great many.

By the late 1950s, American culture was just starting to tap its foot to a new sort of energy—rock 'n' roll music and the shaking hips of Elvis Presley, and for the first time in history, you could see Elvis in your family room, in the long windows of electronics stores, everywhere and anywhere. It's possible that rock 'n' roll music infused its energy into the generation of youngsters who grew up with it on their televisions and radios; it's certain, however, that Lori's personality showed some of that free-spirited energy. Born on June 11, 1957 in Highland Park, Michigan, Lori grew up with her parents Herb and Vi, her brother Todd, and sister Carrie. She attended Burt Elementary school and went on to graduate from Redford High School. Her father instilled in her a love for a different kind of music, classical music, by frequently taking her to operas and ballets. Home was always one of Lori's favorite places to be—she loved the homemade pizza that her mother cooked, and the silly pranks her brother Todd and his friends sometimes pulled. Here is an example of Todd's shenanigans: Lori owned a John Travolta doll, and she was quite fond of this doll; Todd and his friends decided to kidnap this doll; the terms by which the doll would be safely returned were clearly outlined in a ransom letter sent to Lori. And Lori, who loved great jokes and loved to laugh, found this hysterical. Lori and Todd were always very close, and Todd recalls that Lori would always go out of her way to help him and his friends. She would drive them to concerts, to Cedar Point, up North—just about anywhere they wanted to go, because she enjoyed hanging out with them so much. These childhood years include some of her happiest moments, and later in life, she said to her children that she often wished she could go back to her childhood.

But growing up didn't drain Lori's energy; if anything, her enthusiasm toward life intensified with each passing year. Throughout her life, she was a huge sports fanatic, and the focus of her fanaticism ranged from basketball to baseball. There is a room in her house dedicated entirely to baseball, and her favorite teams were the Tigers and the Cubs. Yet above all, she loved figure skating, and she skated herself. The Detroit Skating Club was like a second home for Lori. She liked to converse with skaters, and she also enjoyed teaching young children how to skate. She often traveled out to see the National Figure Skating competitions. Her obsession with figure skating even showed itself in other hobbies: for instance, at least a couple of her cabbage patch dolls are named after her favorite skaters. Yet this obsession with figure skating sometimes embarrassed her children. In one particular example, she met Brian Orser, her favorite skater, and in the typical Lori manner, she let Brian Orser know just how excited she was to meet him! Meanwhile, Lori's daughter announced her embarrassment with reddening cheeks.

Family was always important to Lori, from her childhood on through her adult years, and she took her role as a mother very seriously. She eloped with Robert Nolan in 1975, and later that year, she gave birth to her first son, Bobby. Dawn, her only daughter, was born the next year. Lori gave birth to Dawn at home, and the birthing process was practically finished by the time the EMS arrived to her house. For this reason, you can spot Dawn's name on one of Dearborn's firetrucks. Lori and Robert divorced after some time, but this obstacle did not affect Lori's ability to be a great mother to her kids. She had the ambition (and the energy, of course) to be a great mother, and she instilled a strong sense of values and morals into her children. Not only did Lori have the ambition to be a great mother, she also really enjoyed being a mother, and so when both her children were pushing the end of their teenage years, she decided to have another child. Lori and Dan Wettig had a child, Tyler, in 1994. The birth of her children were the best days of her life.

Lori also disproved a common myth about parents—that all parents are boring! Lori loved having fun, and she loved having fun with her kids. She and Todd took Bobby and Dawn to their first concert see Bon Jovi. Bobby recalls that his mother once wrote a petition letter when a rap artist was arrested in Miami. She enjoyed going to Cedar Point, especially with the kids, and she liked to treat them to her popular homemade chocolate chip cookies or home-cooked chicken, Tyler's favorite dish. Tyler always loved the time that he spent with her: they would play video games together, or go swimming; on his ninth birthday, she took him to Frankenmuth. Lori also enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, and she often babysat for Dawn.

As a mother, and in the other domains of her life, Lori expressed the sort of energy that made every moment valuable. She loved to open presents—birthdays and Christmas were favorite times of the year—and priceless expressions lit up her face as she tore away the wrapping paper. In a way, this is a metaphor. Lori approached her life as it were a gift, and her smile, her laugh, her enthusiasm let everyone around her know that she was happy with what she got.

Lori is survived by her children Bobby (Jenny) Nolan, Dawn (Steve) Reeves and Tyler Wettig; her grandchildren Hailee, Alexandria and Kerstyn; her parents Herb and Vi; brother Todd (Kimm) Schroeder and sister Carrie Roy and Aunt of Kim, Mandy, Bobby, Danny, Ryan and Emma. Also survived by Aunts and Uncles.

Visitation Wednesday 2:30-9pm. Funeral service Thursday 1pm from McCabe Funeral Home 31950 W. 12 Mile Rd. Farmington Hills, Michigan. Burial at Parkview Memorial Cemetery, where she will be buried near her cousin and best friend Brian.