Lori Jean Asbury

Lori Jean Asbury

Washington

Lori Jean Asbury, age 70, of Washington, Iowa, passed away Sunday, October 1, 2023, at the Washington County Hospital following a sudden illness.

Public visitation will begin at 4:00 PM Friday, October 6, 2023, at Washington Mennonite Church where the family will receive friends from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. A service to celebrate Lori’s life will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, October 7, 2023, at the Washington Mennonite Church with Pastor Nick Stoddard officiating. Private family interment will take place at the Crane Cemetery in Lomax, Illinois.

Lori was born September 4, 1953, in LaHarpe, Illinois, the daughter of Donald and G. Lerita (Pence) Reeder. The first 5 years of her life, Lori lived on the family farm near Lomax, with her siblings, parents and grandparents. It was on that farm where she created many of the most treasured memories of her early life. After her family moved to Burlington, Iowa, Lori attended Burlington schools, graduating from Burlington High School in 1971. Following a year of study at Southeastern Community College, she transferred to the University of Iowa, graduating with a Bachelor of Science with Distinction in Elementary Special Education in 1975. She met her future husband Monte Asbury in the Burlington High School Band in 1968. They were married on August 2, 1974, in Burlington, Iowa.

Lori was a teacher. She taught Special Education in Wichita, Kansas, from 1975 until 1978. Lori co-founded the Washington-WACO Home School Assistance Program. From 1993 until 2019 she provided expert guidance, resources and encouragement to hundreds of families in the Washington Community School District.

Lori and Monte moved their family to Washington in 1986, when Monte became the pastor of the Washington Church of the Nazarene. Since Monte’s retirement in 2010, they have attended the Washington Mennonite Church. Since her Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis last year, she was a determined member of the Rock Steady Boxing Program at the Washington Community Y. Lori was a veteran genealogist, who spent decades uncovering the lost stories of her ancestors. She saw thrift shopping as a sport and loved sharing her finds with others. She was passionate about social justice and helping others; she had a knack for knowing who was in need and how to help them. More than anything else, Lori loved her family.

She is survived by her husband of 49 years, Monte Asbury of Washington, Iowa; daughter, Hannah (Jimmie) Horton of Urbandale, Iowa; son, Ben Asbury of Adrian, Michigan; son, Lucas Asbury of Des Moines, Iowa; five grandchildren: Colten Asbury; Eleanor and Samuel Horton; and Nikole and Kayden Hall. She is also survived by one brother, Philip Reeder of Burlington, Iowa; and one sister, Shari Albee of Ames, Iowa. Lori was preceded in death by her mother in 2000 and her father in 2022.

Memorials have been established for HACAP Food Pantry of Washington or the Mennonite Central Committee. Online condolences may be sent for Lori’s family at www.jonesfh.com.