Obituary of Lori Ann Adolph

Lori Ann Adolph, 55, Tucson went to heaven on Monday, May 2, 2016 at the University of Arizona Medical Center from complications with breast cancer. Lori was born on September 6, 1961, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Bonnie Lou Caroline (Haak) Adolph and John Davis Adolph. She graduated from Marana High School with honors and graduated from the University of Arizona-Tucson with a degree in Journalism. She was united in partnership with James Schoeffling of Reeseville, (by Madison) Wisconsin on June 6, 1992 in Tucson, Arizona while they were in between being university students and careers. Lori was adventure-some, athletic, animated, trusting, giving and compassionate about her family and her work. As a young woman, she earned top honors in Lutheran schools during her family's work and travels throughout the United States including, Ogalala, Nebraska, Fremont California, and Tampa Bay Florida. At Marana High School she graduated at the top of her class and was recognized for her special talent playing the French horn and being in Chamber Orchestra, softball, swimming and diving. Through college at the U of A, she worked hard to support herself as a food server at several restaurants near campus and paid her own way through university. She was a member of the University of Arizona diving team and won scholarships and earned internships at several Arizona newspapers. Her many jobs included working summers with brother John at Salmon packing sheds on the Kenai peninsula in Alaska, served as an English tutor to college athletes at the University of Arizona under Football Coach, Dick Tomey and notably was a highly talented swim instructor for infants and toddlers at Tucson's Lohse Family YMCA and Scala's Swim School for many years; she can be credited with teaching hundreds of children fundamental water safety and swimming skills and participated in a video documentary on teaching swimming skills with her own three children on channel KSBW-8 in Salinas-Monterey, California; she was recognized in the video by Dina Ruis, Arron Rogers and Clint Eastwood Lori traveled and raised a family in California, Arizona and Wisconsin. She continued her practice of teaching water safety and swimming, aqua-aerobics and teaching teachers how to teach water safety and organize activities for tiny tots wherever she lived. She can be credited with transforming aquatics programs at Loehse Family YMCA in Tucson, The Monterey Swim and Sports Center in Monterey Ca, Gilroy Health and Fitness Club in Gilroy, Ca, The YMCA in San Luis Obispo, Ca, Brenda Health Club in Modesto and Turlock, Ca., the Westside YMCA in Madison, Wi. The Country Time Day School and the Mini Skool in Tucson Arizona. From 2006 on, Lori was an illuminating face at Denny's restaurant near the I-10 Freeway at St Mary's Road in Tucson. Like everything she did, she hustled to provide meals and service to thousands of traveling and local clientele and always proved herself worthy of a tip; her love and special attention to everything will be sadly missed. Likewise from 2001 to 2006, Lori was a top server at Denny's Leavesly Road and Highway 101 in Gilroy, California; she became Denny's "internet" face for the worldwide homepage. Lori served on Library Boards and volunteered at library functions and had a great love of non-fiction reading. She expressed, "to read is to kindle a light in the mere darkness". At the top of Lori's life are her three children: Harvey (Harv); Alexandra (Zan) and Amellia (Bee BOP). With her children, she promoted music, swimming, gymnastics, soccer, good style, reading, art and education and of course "library time" that left a critical lifetime impression with her children. Moreover, she left them the gift of being loved and the gift of self-confidence and the knowledge that you "can do it" and that you can have a great life through knowledge by teaching yourself. Lori is survived by her three children, Harvey Schoeffling, Alexandra Schoeffling and Amellia Schoeffling. Her brother John (Amy) Adolph and niece Alecia of Oro Valley. Brother Bill (Danna) Adolph and nephew Kyle Adolph of Dove Mountain. Diana (Mark) Heywood and nephew Robert Heywood of Benson and Tucson respectively. Aunt Anna Marie Eason of Eugene, Oregon. She is survived by many loving work mates and her special clientele. She is also survived by the many thousands of children and adults that she taught to save their own lives in the water and the aqua-aerobics world all over the West. Lori will always be remembered for her important contributions and special relationships with her brothers and sister at critical moments in their lives. Lori was preceded in death by her parents Bonnie Lou Caroline Adolph (1997) and John Davis Adolph (2016); grandparents Velma Haak and John Henry Haak of Blue Earth, Minnesota, formerly of Hamburg, Germany; grandparents Henry Foster Adolph and Mercedes Adolph of Santee and San Diego, California formerly from the Netherlands. She was also preceded by Uncle Ward Eason of Marana, Arizona and a sister in law Cathy Adolph. A celebration of Lori's life will be held on May 29th, 2016 at 1 pm. Internment will consist of her ashes placed at Lover's Point Beach in Pacific Grove, California, and at a special place at Himmel Library in Tucson and with a special tree planted on her behalf by Himmel Pool. Memorials en lieu of flowers will be directed at the Loehse Family YMCA to promote children swimming skills or any such organization that promotes aquatic skills and will be called the Lori Adolph Foundation for Water Life Skills. Adair Funeral Home is Serving the Family.