Lori Mikesell

1961 - 2021

Lori Mikesell
April 4, 1961 - December 17, 2020
Boise, Idaho - Lori Lynn Mikesell, a lifelong resident of Ada County, Idaho, died on the night of December 17, 2020.
Lori was the youngest of four children of Charles and Evelyn (Poole) Mikesell. Charles and Evelyn, natives of Belleville Kansas, moved to Idaho in 1959, making Lori their only child born in that state. The other siblings are Michael Mikesell, of Boise; Stephen Mikesell, of Davis, California; and Vickie Roark of Boise. Lori's father, Charles, died in 2014 and is buried in Boise. Her mother Evelyn is 92 and lives in Boise.
Lori attended public schools in Boise, including West Jr. High and Borah High School. In 1991, she gave birth to twin boys, Christian and Cory. Lori loved her boys and enjoyed seeing them complete school projects, perform holiday carols at the local malls, plant gardens with Grandma Evelyn and learn auto mechanics from their grandpa Chuck and woodworking from their father, Dan Griffin.
Christian married Launa Vice in 2014 and they have a daughter, Willow, born on May 25, 2020, Lori's only grandchild. Willow became her hopes and dreams for the future. Cory lives with his fiancé Kyle Lewis in Ontario, Oregon. In 2016, Lori married Michael Orr and they were married at the time of her death.
Lori studied at Boise State and was a talented artist who specialized in pen and ink and watercolors. She loved painting and restoring old furniture, such as broken chairs and tables she discovered in thrift stores. She loved vintage clothing and jewelry and especially loved finding valuable treasures at area garage sales. She loved music and often shared favorite recordings with her many friends on social media. She cared about social issues such as racial and gender equality and about the many who suffer from mental illness, addiction, and poverty. She was raised Methodist but converted to Catholicism in mid-life and experienced the blessings and healing faith can provide.
Lori is survived by her mother, Evelyn; sons Christian and Cory and their loved ones Launa and Kyle; her granddaughter Willow; her siblings Michael, Steve, and his wife Suzanne, and Vickie Roark and her husband Terry; her husband, Michael Orr; and her best friend and foster sister, Becky West. She is also survived by her nephew Michael Mikesell of Seattle and niece Melissa Mikesell of Whately, Massachusetts, as well as uncles and aunts and cousins on both the Mikesell and the Poole sides of her family.
Memorial donations if desired may be made to the Women & Childrens' Alliance of Boise. A private family service will be held at a future date.