Rachel Josephine Lord died of lymphoma at her home in Mount Rainier, Maryland, on December 29, 2025. She was 42. A mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend, she had a rare gift for presence—always listening closely, recognizing individuals, validating and supporting others.
The second of three children, Rachel was born May 2, 1983, in Madison, Wisconsin to Ronald and Jennifer (Tarpley) Lord and welcomed by older brother Colm O'Reilly. Three years later, her sister Hannah arrived and Rachel quickly grew into the role of the loving big sister. The family lived in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and Stillwater, Oklahoma, where they lived in married student housing while Ron completed his Ph.D. in agricultural economics. In 1988, when Rachel was 5, the family moved to Falls Church, Virginia. Rachel resided in the DC area for the rest of her life.
From her earliest days, Rachel had a contagious laugh and a smile that emanated pure joy. As bouncy as Tigger, Rachel spent a lot of time hanging upside-down on the monkey bars. She was active and learned to bike and swim when she was quite young. She joined softball and basketball teams, but her mother always thought she felt most free when on her bike.
A cradle Quaker, Rachel was always active in Meeting. In 2001, she became the fifth generation of her family to graduate from Westtown School, a Quaker boarding school in West Chester, Pennsylvania. In high school, she played basketball, became an accomplished potter, and developed strong leadership skills.
Rachel spent some of those high-school summers working on an organic farm and a gap year working at the Farm School in Massachusetts, teaching younger schoolchildren to farm. Other summers, she became a certified lifeguard and earned her commercial driver's license so she could drive buses at the Baltimore Yearly Meeting's summer camps. In 2002, Rachel enrolled at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, where she reconnected with Sam McCormally; their families had occasionally crossed paths in Meeting, but they fell in love five hundred miles from home.
At Earlham, she majored in Spanish and Latin American Studies. During her stints in a border studies program in El Paso and Juarez, Rachel became fluent in Spanish and interned at a birthing center. The experience sparked a two-decade dedication to women's and reproductive health and gave her a lasting sense of how attentive care could change lives.
After graduating in 2006, she and Sam returned to Washington, DC. Both talented musicians, she and Sam founded an indie-pop-folk band called Ugly Purple Sweater. They released three albums and toured both coasts from 2008 to 2014. Rachel sang and played the cello, bass clarinet, banjo, melodica, and more.
During these years, Rachel also became a certified doula and completed prerequisite coursework at Montgomery College before earning a second bachelor's degree in nursing from Marymount University in 2010. Over the course of her career, she worked as a nurse case manager at Whitman-Walker Health and a labor and delivery nurse at George Washington University Hospital. As a certified lactation consultant, she practiced at Holy Cross Hospital, Virginia Hospital Center, and her own private practice. Most recently she supported families in the Montgomery County Infants and Toddler Program.
She and Sam married on June 16, 2012, and welcomed two children, Simone (Mona) Margaret Lord-McCormally and Eliza Joy Lord-McCormally. Rachel believed being a mother gave true meaning to her life. She and Sam approached parenting as a shared vocation and supported one another's education, work, and pursuits. They moved to Mount Rainier to raise their children, a community Rachel adored for its trees, closely-spaced houses, and chatty neighbors.
Across every role, Rachel was guided by kindness. Her fluency in Spanish, her calm presence, and ability to recognize and affirm others allowed her to connect quickly and meaningfully. Rachel displayed courage and grace as she, Sam, and their children faced her cancer treatment.
Rachel is survived by her husband, Sam McCormally, children Mona and Eliza Lord-McCormally, parents Ron and Jenny Lord, siblings Colm O'Reilly (Jen Bivens) and Hannah (David) Just, parents-in-law Terence McCormally and Katherine Cole, siblings-in-law John (Shayla) McCormally, Anna McCormally (Aaron Goldbeck), eight nieces and nephews, and extended family and dear friends galore.
Donations can be made in her memory to CASA (https://wearecasa.org/), So Others Might Eat (https://some.org/), or her children's 529 College Savings Plan (https://www.ugift529.com/ enter Q27-P6L (Mona's code) or V56-A9K ( Eliza's code) for a direct contribution).
The second of three children, Rachel was born May 2, 1983, in Madison, Wisconsin to Ronald and Jennifer (Tarpley) Lord and welcomed by older brother Colm O'Reilly. Three years later, her sister Hannah arrived and Rachel quickly grew into the role of the loving big sister. The family lived in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and Stillwater, Oklahoma, where they lived in married student housing while Ron completed his Ph.D. in agricultural economics. In 1988, when Rachel was 5, the family moved to Falls Church, Virginia. Rachel resided in the DC area for the rest of her life.
From her earliest days, Rachel had a contagious laugh and a smile that emanated pure joy. As bouncy as Tigger, Rachel spent a lot of time hanging upside-down on the monkey bars. She was active and learned to bike and swim when she was quite young. She joined softball and basketball teams, but her mother always thought she felt most free when on her bike.
A cradle Quaker, Rachel was always active in Meeting. In 2001, she became the fifth generation of her family to graduate from Westtown School, a Quaker boarding school in West Chester, Pennsylvania. In high school, she played basketball, became an accomplished potter, and developed strong leadership skills.
Rachel spent some of those high-school summers working on an organic farm and a gap year working at the Farm School in Massachusetts, teaching younger schoolchildren to farm. Other summers, she became a certified lifeguard and earned her commercial driver's license so she could drive buses at the Baltimore Yearly Meeting's summer camps. In 2002, Rachel enrolled at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, where she reconnected with Sam McCormally; their families had occasionally crossed paths in Meeting, but they fell in love five hundred miles from home.
At Earlham, she majored in Spanish and Latin American Studies. During her stints in a border studies program in El Paso and Juarez, Rachel became fluent in Spanish and interned at a birthing center. The experience sparked a two-decade dedication to women's and reproductive health and gave her a lasting sense of how attentive care could change lives.
After graduating in 2006, she and Sam returned to Washington, DC. Both talented musicians, she and Sam founded an indie-pop-folk band called Ugly Purple Sweater. They released three albums and toured both coasts from 2008 to 2014. Rachel sang and played the cello, bass clarinet, banjo, melodica, and more.
During these years, Rachel also became a certified doula and completed prerequisite coursework at Montgomery College before earning a second bachelor's degree in nursing from Marymount University in 2010. Over the course of her career, she worked as a nurse case manager at Whitman-Walker Health and a labor and delivery nurse at George Washington University Hospital. As a certified lactation consultant, she practiced at Holy Cross Hospital, Virginia Hospital Center, and her own private practice. Most recently she supported families in the Montgomery County Infants and Toddler Program.
She and Sam married on June 16, 2012, and welcomed two children, Simone (Mona) Margaret Lord-McCormally and Eliza Joy Lord-McCormally. Rachel believed being a mother gave true meaning to her life. She and Sam approached parenting as a shared vocation and supported one another's education, work, and pursuits. They moved to Mount Rainier to raise their children, a community Rachel adored for its trees, closely-spaced houses, and chatty neighbors.
Across every role, Rachel was guided by kindness. Her fluency in Spanish, her calm presence, and ability to recognize and affirm others allowed her to connect quickly and meaningfully. Rachel displayed courage and grace as she, Sam, and their children faced her cancer treatment.
Rachel is survived by her husband, Sam McCormally, children Mona and Eliza Lord-McCormally, parents Ron and Jenny Lord, siblings Colm O'Reilly (Jen Bivens) and Hannah (David) Just, parents-in-law Terence McCormally and Katherine Cole, siblings-in-law John (Shayla) McCormally, Anna McCormally (Aaron Goldbeck), eight nieces and nephews, and extended family and dear friends galore.
Donations can be made in her memory to CASA (https://wearecasa.org/), So Others Might Eat (https://some.org/), or her children's 529 College Savings Plan (https://www.ugift529.com/ enter Q27-P6L (Mona's code) or V56-A9K ( Eliza's code) for a direct contribution).
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