WELCOME

SS: Good evening, everyone. I knew Lori for the last 10 years, and I considered her to be my closest friend. Many of you have known her much longer than I have, and I honor your friendship with her. Thank you all for being here tonight.

Tonight's program is in .pdf format, and it has been dropped in the chat. The program can also be found on the website.

I've also dropped the special zoom background in the chat. If you'd like to use it, we'd love to see your face on the camera, but we totally want you to be comfortable. We ask that no screenshots, photos, or recordings be taken during our gathering tonight so that we can maintain a safe and supportive space for everyone attending. We won't be recording the service on our end, but a written transcript of the service will be available for those who couldn't be here today and will be posted on the website.

Friends, at this time, we begin our celebration of Lori's life on what would've been her 63rd birthday here on earth. We gather here tonight not just to mourn the passing of our dear friend but to celebrate the incredible life she lived, the love she shared, and the many ways she touched each of our lives.

Lori was a woman of warmth, kindness and strength. She had a way of making you feel special, of lifting your spirits when you needed it most, and of filling a room with laughter and light. Her presence was a gift and today we honor the legacy she leaves behind.

Grief and gratitude often walk hand in hand. While we feel the sadness of her absence, we also recognize the countless moments of joy, love, and friendship that she brought into our lives.

Today we reflect on those moments, we share our memories and we find comfort in the knowledge that Lori's impact lives on through each of us. At this time we will continue our celebration, inviting God's presence into this space, as we remember Lori together.

OPENING REMARKS

TB1: For many years, it was my privilege to be Lori's pastor and get to know her in a deeper way. My wife and I were also fortunate that two of our children had Lori as their teacher in the past 15 years, which was pretty unique.

Something I want to say before the prayer, is that Lori's obituary (that you'll hear again shortly if you didn't get a chance to read it), I think, was really appropriate. I didn't even put together that it was her birthday today, which I think is kind of a cool thing. The obituary talked about how she was inspiring and nurturing, and how dedicated she was to those around her. We can't begin to express our gratitude for all that Lori did for our children during those formative days. To take a child and meet them where they are, and then coach them and help them grow into what they can be is a big deal. We were fortunate to get to know Lori on a personal level and we can vouch for who she was, and how truly genuine she was, both in and out of the classroom. She walked her talk, and I believe that's a fantastic goal for all of us.

PRAYER

TB2: Hello, friends! I'm so glad you could be here. Join me in prayer.

Lord, we have all gotten together this evening for one purpose, to remember and express our gratitude for the life of Lori Barrett. We are so thankful for, not only for who she was. But for how she was with us, with our children, with our school, with our community, and how she was such a wonderful friend. What she's left us is really something to strive for - a loving heart, and a dedicated spirit. So, father, may our time together bring honor to the life of Lori, and to how she spent it. Father, I pray that we will glorify you. We pray these things in your name. Amen.

READING OF THE OBITUARY

JB: Lori Barrett was more than just a mother, a friend, a sister, a daughter. She was a force of love and kindness in this world. Her life was one of purpose, generosity and deep compassion. I have the honor today of reading her obituary, a written reflection of the life she lived. Though words can never fully capture the essence of who Lori was, they offer us a way to remember her journey, her passions, and the love she shared with so many.

Lori Lynn Roland Barrett was born on April 6, 1962 and peacefully departed this world on October 23, 2024. A devoted mother to her beloved son, Sam and Tyler, Lori was a radiant presence in the lives of these who know her. With over 20 years of teaching, Lori inspired countless children with her passion for reading and learning. Her warm and nurturing spirit and heartfelt dedication left an enduring impact on our students and their families, fostering a love of education that will be remembered. Lori found joy in scrapbooking, where she lovingly preserved precious memories shared with family and friends. She took immense pride in her grandson Orion, whose laughter and love brought unparalleled joy to her life. She is survived by her son, Sam Barrett (Ocala, Florida), and her grandson Orion, (and his mother Kristen), her son Tyler Barrett (Florida), her adoring parents, Ronald and Carol Rowland (Chattanooga, Tennessee), her brother, Brad Rowland (Franklin, Tennessee), and her sister, Andrea Rowland Beattie (Richmond, Virginia), and many cherished nieces and nephews. Lori will be profoundly missed, leaving behind a legacy of love, creativity, and unwavering commitment to education. In lieu of flowers. Donations can be made to the charity Step Up For Students.

As we read these words today, let us remember that Lori's story is not just in this text. It's in the countless lives she touched, in the laughter she shared, and the kindness she spread

INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGE

SS: I want to share 3 key parts of Lori's beautiful life - how Lori laughed. how Lori lived, and how Lori loved. (By the way, she would’ve loved that I used all those alliterations just now!)

Lori's laugh was the kind that could fill a room and lift your spirits, no matter what kind of day you were having. She had a quick wit, she was very quick minded, and she had a wonderful sense of humor. She often found joy in the simplest of moments. Her love for movies brought out her playful side. Lori had a knack for quoting her favorite movie lines at just the right moment. She also - I don't know if you knew this - but she also had a mischievous streak, especially when it came to stories that involved quick-witted comebacks from her students. Her laughter wasn't just about having fun. It was a reflection of her deep appreciation for life's lighter moments.

Now I want to talk to you about how Lori lived.

Lori had a gift for making every moment matter. As an elementary teacher for over 20 years, she left an indelible mark on hundreds of young lives. Whether she was teaching 1st graders their ABC’s or -  later in her career-guiding struggling readers as a reading resource teacher, Lori's passion for education was unmatched. She believed in the power of words and stories, and she poured her heart into helping children discover that magic. But Lori's classroom extended far beyond the walls of TAE. She approached life as a canvas waiting to be filled. She was a Creative at heart. Lori loved scrapbooking. She loved turning ordinary memories into extraordinary keepsakes. Her pages weren't just photos and paper. They were love letters to life itself. They were carefully curated and beautifully designed. Lori also had an incredible eye for beauty. She could transform a living space or a working space with her flair for interior design. She watched home decor shows for inspiration, and always found creative ways to make her surroundings reflect her personality. Her home was a sanctuary - a blend of comfort, warmth, and style that made everyone feel welcome.

That's how she lived. Now I want to tell you how she loved.

If there's one thing that defined Lori, it was her capacity to love.

Her sons, Sam and Tyler, her grandson, Orion and his mother Kristen, were her world. Lori's love wasn't limited to her family. I am honored to have received her love and friendship for the past decade. There are others here tonight who have been blessed by knowing Lori for over 20 years. She had a way of making everyone around her feel seen and valued, no matter who you were.

Her hugs were legendary – warm, genuine, and often accompanied by “I'm so glad you're here!” Her faith, too, was a quiet but steadfast part of her love. Lori lived with kindness and grace, embodying the belief that love is an action, not just a feeling. In every scrapbook page, every heartfelt conversation she shared, Lori showed us what it means to love with your whole heart.

There's a lesson that life teaches us, sometimes gently and sometimes in the hardest ways. And the lesson is this: Never wait to tell someone you love them.

In the hospital, as I said goodbye, I was at complete peace, knowing that nothing went unsaid between us. We talked on the phone or texted each other every day. Every day. Not one day during our friendship did I ever question her love for me. I can't say that about everyone who has passed away in my life. But I can say that about Lori. We go through life assuming there will always be more time, more chances to pick up the phone, to send a text, or to drop by and visit. We think I'll tell them tomorrow, I'll check in next week, They know how I feel. But the truth is, life is unpredictable and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that love should never be left unspoken.

Maybe it's not the “I love you” to everyone in your world, but some things that can sound the same as “I love you” could be “I appreciate you,” “ I see you,” “I understand you,” “I see how hard you're working,” “Thank you,” “You mean so much to me.” “Your thoughtfulness means so much to me.”

Lori understood all of this. She had a way of making sure the people in her life felt loved, not just in the grand gestures, but in small, everyday ways that mattered the most: A warm smile, a thoughtful note, a hug that lingered just a little longer, as if to say, “You matter to me.”

If Lori were here today, I think she'd tell us this: “Don't wait! Don't assume they know! Say it. Say it every day. Tell your family, you love them. Not just on special occasions, but on a random Tuesday morning. Tell your friends how much they mean to you. Tell your colleagues at work how much you appreciate them. Apologize when you need to, forgive when you can, and never let pride stand in the way of love. Because love isn't meant to be kept inside. It's meant to be given freely, shared openly and spoken out loud. So in honor of Lori, let's make a promise today - To live with open hearts, to cherish every moment, and to never hold back our love. Because one day, all that will remain are the words we said, the love we gave, and the memories we created.

I challenge all of us to make sure those memories are filled with love that was spoken, not just felt. As we say goodbye to Lori today, Let us remember her, not in sadness, but in gratitude for the time we had with her. Let us live boldly, laugh freely, and love deeply. Just as she did.

Lori's legacy is written in the lives she touched - her sons, her students and each of us here today. While she may no longer be with us in person, her spirit will forever inspire us to cherish the beauty in the world around us and to carry her light forward.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

JB: Lori was not only my friend, she was my sister in spirit. She had a way of showing up exactly when I needed her to without even knowing it, or without even being asked.

I retired from teaching to be able to spend more time taking care of my mother. It was a very hard few years, and somehow Lori always seemed to know the day that had been particularly difficult or the time that I was struggling. She would always call me. We spoke or texted every day, and we stayed connected. Even after she moved to Tennessee for a year, we still stayed in touch.

She was so much fun to be around. I value those moments that we had together. Whether it was just a simple gesture like a knowing glance from her at school in the hallways, or laughing together, she had an incredible way of making everybody feel okay. And she did that, particularly with her children, and the children that she taught. I have watched her be able to get some of the most difficult students to open up to her because she took that time with them. She had so much patience with the children she taught.

Lori leaves a special place in my heart, but I know that she would want us to continue forward with joy, and to remember the good times and to honor her by being the kind of friends to others that she was to us.

SCRIPTURE READING

JB: The scripture passage that I'm going to read embodies what I think of when I think of Lori.

Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times…”

This reminds me that a true friendship is one that is constant, and one that is consistent. Lori was one of those constant, consistent friends. She was dependable, she was considerate. And she was always there. She didn't just show up when you needed her. She showed up even when you didn't need her. She showed up. That’s what made her such a good friend.

My husband and I had the opportunity to go over and help her do some things at her house, and Tyler would help him, while Lori and I would sit and visit. I know she was so appreciative of the time that we got to spend with her and Tyler.

She was one in a million. We could go long times without seeing each other, but we talked often, and I will always treasure the friendship that I shared with Lori.

TRIBUTES

SS: Lori did indeed touch each of our lives in very special ways. We want to take a few moments to invite those who would like to share a memory, a tribute or a few words. Whether it's a story that makes us laugh, a moment that brought you comfort, or a simple reflection on her beautiful spirit, we welcome you to share. You can use the raised hand function in zoom, or you can raise your hand in real life (something that makes those of us who are educators incredibly happy), or you can send me a message in the chat.

KC: I only got to know Lori for a short period of time, as she was a mentor and a coach for my daughter. You all spoke so well and so perfectly of Lori and I just wanted to add that she was also like a counselor for my daughter. I felt like Lori really understood her. She cheered her on. She gave her confidence in reading and in learning. My daughter rode the bus home to her house multiple times a week. Lori spent hours and hours with her this past year. Lori was one that just really tapped into her as a person, as an individual, and just really understood her. She was just a warm hug. Lori really built her up, and for that I'm forever thankful.

I also felt that I got to know her, as a friend as well, just through picking up and dropping off. She was just so easy to just talk to, and it was more than just “picking up my daughter.” She was just so welcoming.

Lori was a cheerleader, and she challenged my daughter. She really saw how she needed to be trained and challenged and just tapped into my daughter’s creative side. I'm forever thankful for Lori and the relationship that she was able to create with my daughter and how close they were able to become just within a year.

SS: Thank you for sharing that with us. I know when Lori launched into doing private tutoring this last year, it was a venture that was close to her heart, because she got to be one-on-one with students.

Lori and I had already been friends for a while before my daughter started kindergarten. My daughter's a little bit of a spitfire. She has a very big personality, and we love her. (She is now 15, so we get to say that we survived that whole phase.) But Lori had a special place in her heart for my daughter. On one of the days Lori had lunch duty, I got a phone call.

Lori said, “Hey, I need to tell you that your daughter says that you forgot to pack her lunch. So I went ahead and gave her money so she could get lunch from the cafeteria.

I said, “I'm sorry are you telling me that my precious little angel said that I didn't pack her a lunch? The very lunch that I got up extra early to pack with all her favorite things?”

Lori said, “Well, she didn’t quite own up to it when I asked her to verify that you didn’t pack a lunch for her. But she gave me the look.”

I said, “What do you mean? She gave you the look? What look?”

Lori said, “The look that said, ‘I don't want to eat the lunch that Mom packed. I want pizza from the cafeteria.’ I couldn’t say no to that face.”

That wouldn’t be the first time my sweet angel swindled Lori out of a few dollars for lunch money.

TRIBUTE VIDEO

SS: We continue to celebrate Lori's life. We've prepared a short slideshow. Many of you know that Lori did not like her photo taken, but some of these are photos she sent to me just a few weeks before her passing and they are photos of her early life when she was a teenager, a college student, and a newlywed. If you happen to find any photos of Lori in the days and weeks to come, please send them to me, and I will add the photos for the video and add the video to the website. The song that we chose for this video is “For Good,” from “Wicked.”

“For Good,” (Lyrics)

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives
For a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led to those
Who help us most to grow if we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes the sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So, let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have rewritten mine
By being my friend

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a sky bird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better
But because I knew you

Because I knew you

I have been changed for good

Like a comet pulled from orbit (like a ship blown from its mooring)
As it passes the sun (by a wind off the sea)
Like a stream that meets a boulder (like a seed dropped by a bird)
Halfway through the wood (in the wood)
Who can say if I've been changed for the better
I do believe I have been changed for the better

And because I knew you

Because I knew you

Because I knew you
I have been changed
For good

CLOSING WORDS

TB1: I think it's appropriate, as we wind down, to emphasize the fact that Lori knew Jesus, because it changes the tenor of a moment like this. Lori made an active decision to alter the trajectory of her life by believing in Christ, confessing him as Lord and asking Him to be her Savior, regardless of what she faced in life.

I think it's a beautiful thing when you can see a life encapsulated in pictures, and you realize that that we all have burdens we bear and things we go through. But the thing that keeps us going forward is knowing Lori is in heaven. It's not pastoral hype or church lingo. It's not pie in the sky thinking. It's truth.

I John 5:13 says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

II Corinthians 5 says, “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Now it's God who's made us for this very purpose, and has given us the spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what's to come. Therefore we're always confident we know that as long as we're still living in our bodies, we're away from the Lord, so we live by faith and not by sight.”

Lori's living the opposite of how we are right now. She is living in sight of the Lord, and all that she heard and read and all that she accepted by faith, has become real to her.

Jesus said very pointedly, “I'm the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live even though they die. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. And then he asked a question as he finished saying that he said, “Do you believe this?”

Friends, believe Him, trust Him, have hope in Him, and one day all of us will gather again – this time with Lori, and with all those who've gone before us who knew Him.

The Bible says on that day, we'll not only know each other, but we'll know the Lord, and we'll see him face to face. As he is.

Lori realizes that now, and I think our challenge is to do the same thing as we go through life and affect other people, and shape other people, and encourage other people, and pour ourselves out into other people. We are moving them towards the One who created them, and loved them unconditionally. That can affect their life permanently. Let me pray for us.

PRAYER OF BLESSING

TB1: Lord, we find such great wisdom and peace and comfort in your word. And right now, with hearts of faith, we trust in your love and wisdom. Even as we thank you for Lori Barrett's life, we know that You were a part of her journey every step of the way – as a wife and a mom, and a sister, and an aunt and a friend, and a teacher to so many. Lord, we're thankful for all the ways that her wonderful life shaped and affected so many others.

And so, Lord, with hearts of faith, we know your word says with you a day is a thousand years, and a thousand years is but a day. And on this day, her birthday, we commit Lori back into your hands. We commend her into your keeping.

My prayer for all of us, while we are only shortly separated from Lori, is that we find comfort and hope in your word. Help us remember that your promises give us peace and strength. As we each keep journeying through this life, knowing that in this world, we will have some troubles, but as you've promised, we can take heart, knowing that you've overcome them all.

So empower us to exemplify the good qualities we knew in Lori. Thank you for the abundant life and the promise of a future together with her, and may the peace that passes all understanding guard each of our hearts, and each of our minds. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

SHARED STORIES & FELLOWSHIP

JB: Although this formal service is concluding, our time together doesn't have to end. If you would like to stay and share a story, please feel free.

I know Lori would have loved this - seeing her friends gathered, lifting each other up and celebrating the love and the joy that she brought to our lives. So take this time to remember what's been said. Remember to laugh, and if you need to, shed some tears. Lori would have wanted us to carry on the love and the friendship that she gave so freely to each of us every day of her life. May Lori’s spirit continue to live on in each one of us.