1961 – 2018

Lori Marlett passed away recently after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer. After her diagnosis and emergency surgery in early 2017, she continued to live her life with the same enthusiasm and passion she always had enjoying and bringing joy to every minute of every day. She believed in living life to the fullest, and filling the days with love and laughter. Lori spent most of her life in Southern California having grown up in La Crescenta and spending her adult life in San Diego. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Upon graduating, she embarked on a career in what was then the new field of desktop publishing.

Starting out at Xerox, she then landed a sales and training position at Boston-based Camex, a software company that allowed newspapers and advertisers to make game-changing production leaps. Outgoing and friendly, she loved teaching, being in front of a crowd, and excelled at this challenging and technical work. While at Camex, she traveled on assignments throughout the world to train customers. From Australia to Europe she thrived on meeting the local people and learning about different cultures. During her time in Boston, Lori met the love of her life, Jason Logan, and together they shared 29 wonderful years of marriage. After several years in the Boston area, Lori and Jason relocated to San Diego. Lori continued to work in the publishing software field then decided to make a career change to pursue her real passions writing and teaching cooking classes.

She and Jason especially enjoyed living in Beijing for six months. She rode her bike to attend Chinese cooking classes and shopped at local farmers markets to find ingredients. Undeterred by the language barrier, she always managed to get what she needed and had wonderful stories to share about it. When she returned to California, she wrote an article about Chinese cooking that was published in the San Diego Union Tribune around the time of the Beijing Olympics perfect timing.

Most recently, she taught children in the San Diego area, a job she relished. Very “young at heart” herself, Lori loved working in the kitchen with young children and they loved learning from her.

Lori and Jason shared a passion for travel. Over the years, they had many adventures in New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, Europe, China, and thoroughly exploring the United States. At Lori’s insistence, they would never make reservations in advance. Instead, Lori would read the Lonely Planet travel guides on the plane en route to their destinations. She said this would take her out of her comfort zone and make their travels even more adventurous.

In addition to her professional career, Lori was a dedicated volunteer for a variety of organizations. For more than 15 years, she kept a monthly commitment to read the local newspaper on radio station KPBS for blind listeners. She also edited reports detailing the physical and emotional growth of children in Chinese orphanages for the Beijing-based Half-the-Sky adoption agency. Additionally, she put her skills as a chef to use for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in San Diego, teaching refugees to understand what type of food they could purchase at the local market and how to cook it at home. She especially enjoyed the annual tradition of preparing a full Thanksgiving meal for the IRC students to share together.

But more than anything, Lori loved spending time with her family and friends. She had a special place in her heart for her nieces, nephews and the other young people in her life, and they adored her. Years ago, Lori and Jason hosted a Finnish high school foreign exchange student. Tuuli bonded with Lori from the moment they met and she and her young family have been close ever since. Tuuli wrote, “Lori was extraordinary: a second mother, a best friend, someone who taught me how to value the bright and best sides of life, of those around me, and even of myself.”

In addition to her husband Jason, Lori is survived by her loving parents, Cal and Margie; her beloved sisters, Debbie and Wendy; and beloved brother, John. Lori also leaves many close friends who, along with her family, will forever hold in their hearts the generosity and warmth of her spirit.

Contributions may be made in Lori’s memory by donating blood or support one of these organizations: International Rescue Committee (https://help.rescue.org/donate/make-tribute-donation) or Scripps Ovarian Cancer Research (https://giving.scripps.org/).