Edna "Lori" Koonce

Lori was born to Arthur Max Fleming Jr. and Edna Evelyn Johnson on January 18, 1940 in Lucy Helen Memorial Hospital in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, the second of two children. Her older sister, Betty Ann Fleming died at the age of 2 prior to Lori's birth. Lori's mother died suddenly in Saratoga, Florida two and a half years later, leaving her father to raise her. Lori's father later married Rothia Mae Porter Richardson. Lori spent many of her younger years living throughout New England and Florida, attending 33 different schools until high school. She attended and graduated from Keith Hall, a private Catholic girls school in Lowell, Mass. During this time she wrote articles for the local newspaper and following graduation she worked in retail for a year, saving up money to attend nursing school. Lori did enter St. Elizabeth's Hospital School of Nursing in Boston and graduated with her R.N. in 1962. She received several awards in psychiatric nursing and was one of the original students to train for 6 weeks in home health with the Sisters of the Sick Poor in Boston. After graduating Lori went to work in the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Rehabilitation hospital under the auspices of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. She entered this order of missionaries within that year.

Arthur Fleming, her father, died suddenly when Lori had been in the convent for 3 months. This was a devastating blow to her but her faith sustained her. After making her first vows, she was assigned to care for the elderly nuns at the motherhouse, later sent to Roslyn, L.I., NY. where she worked with pediatric and adult heart patients. From there she was sent back to J.P. Kennedy Memorial, and to Boston College for further nursing studies. Just prior to final vows, Lori and other "junior professed" were all recalled to the Juniorate. It was here that Lori decided she was not meant to remain in the convent.

Leaving the convent, she went to Florida where she lived with her step-sister, Helen, until she followed in her footsteps and entered the Navy Nurse Corps. This was in the Viet Nam war era. Her assignments in West Pac encompassed a wide variety.

While in the Navy she married a Navy corpsman, Richard (Gene) Koonce. When he was transferred to Dallas Airfield, Lori chose to retire from service. In 1973, Jennifer Kathleen Koonce, their daughter was born. In 1974 Scott Alexander was born followed by Richard Erik in 1975. This family moved to Tucson Arizona to join Helen and her daughter in 1976 and Lori worked at a local hospital and then helped to establish a new one, becoming the orthopedic and neurological nursing supervisor.

Lori suffered a heart attack in 1985 and after recovery, the family moved to Beaumont, Texas where she was night supervisor at a local psych hospital. Gene and Lori divorced in 1986 and Lori moved with the children to Victoria, where she organized and supervised a psychiatric unit until she went to work for Victoria College as a nursing instructor in the LVN program. After 17 years, she retired and went to work for Hospice of South Texas as a field nurse and then as an educator. 1n 2006 she retired and joined First United Methodist Church.

Lori joined pastor Marilyn Roeder(Klunkel) on several mission trips to New Orleans after Katrina, to Marble Falls and to Galveston. She was certified as a Certified Lay Minister 2008 and has served this church since that time.

She is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Koonce Perez and her husband Mario, her son Scott Koonce and her son Erik Koonce and wife Lori Koonce. She is survived by 7 grandchildren: Emily, Lindsay and Haley Perez, Mason and Kaitlyn Koonce and Cameron Harris and Savannah Koonce.

Visitation will be Friday, March 16, 2018 from 1-3 PM at First United Methodist Church with a Funeral service to follow at 3 PM.

Burial will be at a later date in Townsend, MA at Riverside Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers please donate to First United Methodist Church, Victoria, Tx. (specifically for Missions) and Hospice of South Texas