I met Lorna and Rob while working as a young lad at the US Consulate in Madras between 1995-96.  In fact,  I worked for Lorna managing the Commissary that catered to the needs of the resident diplomatic workforce!  

My memories of Lorna are of one who was a happy bubbly soul with a beautiful smile and a deep appreciation of nurturing the human spirit in a positive way.  I most cherish those memorable threads of conversations on our common shared human values based on our own life experiences!   

Lorna always treated me as an equal on the job and on occasions even treated me with her nice home baked cookies including accepting my invite to our humble home for a nice South Indian meal with my family!!  

My respect and love for Lorna will never fade away.   Our thoughts are with Rob and the boys.   I hope to meet them one day!  

Lorna and I hit it off from the first night we met, we hosted the family for dinner upon their arrival to Lithuania.  She was warm, friendly, and loved her boys like I love mine, with everything she was and had.  We enjoyed our time together always, but my memory of the fun we had in Poland on our shopping trip I wanted to share.  
The rooms were assigned by the trip coordinators, and she and I talked into the night like kids would.  The second night we realized that as much fun as we were having, the reason the two of us had been put together was that we were the bosses' wives.  No one on the trip wanted to room with the wife of the boss!  It was a great laugh, one that I won't forget because it was true and pure, just like Lorna.

With love from Nibbie
I came home from school one hot day in Lagos, Nigeria feeling rather disgruntled. At 10 years old I enjoyed sports. The others girls at school, did not like sports and wanted to spend recess just talking about boring things. That day mother said to me that she had met a lady who had a 10 year-old daughter and I should go to their apartment to meet her that very afternoon. I was not keen but my mother persevered and said I should just meet this girl and see what happened. So, reluctantly, I dragged out my bicycle and went to the appropriate apartments. Lorna was not an extrovert and I wondered in that moment if she was going to be like the other girls too – was I wrong!! Lorna was smart, fun, loved trying all kinds of sports. She was interesting, kind and competitive – we hit it off. Very kindly Lorna’s parents included me in their weekend motorboat trips and Lorna’s dad taught us to waterski. Lorna and I often waterskied together, with two tow ropes off the back of their boat, with Lorna teasing me shouting Crocodile whenever she saw a floating coconut husk in the water! I screamed and laughed and mercifully no harm really came to any of us!
One day I said to Lorna what will you be when you grow up? And she said a Vet!! She knew at 10 years old. At that point fireworks went off in my brain. Maybe I could be something like that too!! The next year at school, 6th Grade, we were assigned a lengthy reading program. I had already decided just to move through it as required by the teacher. Lorna said Nibbie let’s beat everyone and finish the first in the class. We worked extra hard, took the assignments home to work on (a rare thing in those days) and finished first! I learned that excelling felt great and understood for the first time realized the power of inspiration. We stayed in touch over the years and visits were filled with joy. Rest in peace Lorna – you are much loved.


It was the second day of college at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.  September 6, 1981.  The school organized a dance for the new freshmen at the Glass Pavilion in the lower quad.  A boy, not yet 18, was wandering around, introducing himself to other students.  His heart melted.  There was this girl, wearing a simple light blue, v-neck t-shirt with a lacey fringe, a gold chain, simple earrings, jeans and sneakers.  No make-up.  He went up to introduce himself.  She wasn’t quite 17.  He was from New York City, the West Side of Manhattan to be specific.  She said that her parents lived in Oman and wasn’t it neat that the latest issue of National Geographic Magazine featured both Oman and Manhattan.  She went to high school in The Hague, his family came from Antwerp just down the road in Belgium and he had visited Holland as a child.  So their conversation went.  He was smitten.  She was not.

The boy found out that the girl was enrolled in Introduction to Chemistry.  A history and political science nerd, the boy signed up as well so that he could see her and maybe, just maybe, find a way to study together.  He almost failed that class but eventually won her heart.  

And so began what became a 36-year journey together for Rob and Lorna.


I loved our long walks with the dogs where we could and did talk about everything!!  Even as you went through chemo, I could barely keep up with you- you were amazing.  Buddy misses you too.  Love you❤️

OBITUARY

Lorna Jane Marke

October 14, 1964 – February 23, 2018

National Funeral Home & Memorial Park

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