LAURA "Lori" DINITZ

DINITZ LAURA DINITZ "Lori" On January 7, 2022, after valiantly battling the effects of a cerebral hemorrhage, Laura (Lori) Dinitz succumbed, at the age of 51, to a stroke.

Lori was born and raised in Montgomery County, Maryland, and was the older of two siblings. From an early age, she appreciated the importance of family; in fact, to her, family was everything. Lori formed an immediate, unbreakable bond with her sister, watching over her, acting as her confidante and mentor, and becoming her best friend for life. She excelled in school, particularly in mathematics, and followed in her father's footsteps by attending the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (UMich). While there, Lori earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematical Sciences and was a member of its cycling team. After graduating from UMich, she earned a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Arizona.

In 1995, Lori relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area to work as an operations research analyst for the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Her career with the USGS spanned over 20 years, with Lori a go-to person for mathematical probability modeling and data analysis for problems related to natural hazards and environmental risk analysis. In addition to authoring and co-authoring scientific publications, she worked for years as a key player on a small team helping a USGS economist develop, run, and apply the Land Use Portfolio Model (LUPM), a risk-management tool to evaluate plans or actions intended to reduce risk from natural hazards.

In 2003, Lori wed her husband of 18 years, and two years to the day later, she gave birth to their daughter. Six years after, their son arrived. Lori was a loving and devoted wife, mother, aunt, sister, and daughter. Her hearty laugh, bright smile, jovial nature, and childish enthusiasm filled her family with joy. Her warmth, caring, genuineness, and loyalty to family and friends endeared her so to all who had the pleasure to know her. Lori's last act of selflessness and generosity, donating her organs and tissues, saved a life and greatly helped others.

Lori enjoyed numerous things--attending family get-togethers and outings; socializing with friends; reading; traveling; dining out; going to plays, movies, and her children's sporting events; participating in non-strenuous outdoor activities (e.g., hikes, bike rides, and softball) in cool, overcast weather; using Excel; eating quality ice cream. She adored her children and cherished spending time with them, as well as with her parents, sister, stepparents, in-laws, and niece.

Lori is survived by her husband, daughter, son, parents, stepparents, sister, stepsister, and half-sister.

As a supporter of women's rights and the fight against osteosarcoma, the latter due to the passing of a friend's son, donations may be made, in lieu of flowers, to the National Organization for Women (NOW), at https://now.org, or The Osteosarcoma Collaborative, at https://oscollaborative.org.

In light of the pandemic, a small, private service was held, with Lori laid to rest at Hills of Eternity Memorial Park in Colma, California.