Laura Kay Wellner

Laura Kay Wellner, affectionately known as “Oreo”, was born in Madrid Spain in 1962. She was the youngest of four girls born to Charles and Bernice Wellner. It was a military family that moved often exposing Lori to the world. Along the way, she met many people and made a multitude of friends.

She attended Santa Rita High school and then received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Arizona in the field of Criminal Justice. She had a successful career with the Pima County Superior Court Probation Department as a Project Specialist, AmeriCorps Supervisor and Quality Case Reviewer. Her gift for writing Grants led to the procurement of police body cameras, protective vests for canine units, expansion of the Drug Court and much more.

While married to Tim Pate she had one child, Timothy Ayron. “Timmy” was the center of her world. She also became a loving stepmother to Cassi and Emily. Her Mom’s Group threw parties for the kids at Christmas. Lori always made gingerbread houses out of graham crackers and the kids loved decorating them. She organized the annual trip to the Gaslight Theater Christmas Show along with trips to the zoo, museums, and peach picking. She was Timmy’s Cub Scout leader and also worked with her niece’s Girl Scout troop. She once showed them the consequences of getting arrested by putting on an entertaining skit. The scouts were all fingerprinted and swabbed for DNA.

Lori was known for her big heart. She organized clothing drives, sent boxes of cookies to soldiers during Desert Storm and baked many meals for friends and neighbors. Her enchiladas drew heavy praise. When she saw a need she was always the first one to step up to help.

Loyalty for her Minnesota Vikings was unwavering. She wanted her son involved in youth sports but there were no teams by that name playing in Tucson. That was not a deterrent for Lori! She drove miles south of Tucson so that Timmy could play for the junior “Minnesota Vikings” team.

Lori battled a rare form of Guillain Barre. At one point she experienced partial paralysis and had to learn to walk again. She was in constant pain. She was so dedicated to her job that she often used one finger to type.

In spite of her difficulties, Lori was a warrior. She maintained a positive attitude and made everyone around her feel special. She will be greatly missed.