Loren Floto

Loren Floto, Environmentalist, Teacher, Family Man and Friend, Dies at 82 Loren Floto, a longtime resident of Rockton, a beloved Montessori teacher in the Rockford School District, an environmentalist and activist who used his time, talents and wit to support efforts to clean up the Rock River, preserve the region's trees and support its libraries, died suddenly on June 14. He was 82. Farm Boy Loren Roy Floto was born to Ernest and Helen Floto on November 24, 1942 in Geneseo, Illinois. Loren and his four siblings grew up on the family farm, where his father grew corn and raised dairy cows. Loren and his brothers and sisters spent many hours in the "pines," the wooded area on their property, where he began to develop a love of nature – particularly trees – that became a lifelong passion. After graduating from Geneseo Township High School in 1960, he attended the University of Missouri, where he studied forestry. He spent summers fighting fires in Idaho and California, and received his bachelor's degree in 1964 and a masters in 1965. Between March 1966 and December 1968, Loren served in the Peace Corps – first in the Dominican Republic, then in Chile. He prepared for his service by spending hours listening to Spanish language courses on a record player. Loren's years in the Peace Corps were a formative experience that solidified his love of the Spanish language, Latin American Culture and working with your neighbors to make a difference in your community. After serving in the Peace Corps, a road trip west landed Loren in Seattle, where for a short time, he drove a cab. His life took a major turn when he returned to the Midwest. Working with the 4-H in Chicago, he met a friendly nurse named Jan Beck. They fell in love. The two were married amongst the trees at the Hononegah Forest Preserve on September 25, 1971, moved to Prairie City and eventually settled in Rockton, where Jan's family resided. He embraced life alongside the Beck family and spent many hours with his father-in-law, woodworking in his woodshop downtown. Señor Floto Loren bounced around a number of jobs in the couple's early years of marriage, but he found his professional calling in the classroom as a teacher. He started teaching Spanish in Loves Park, then horticulture at Hononegah High School and later, as an elementary teacher to students for whom English was a second language in Rockford. While in Rockford, he completed training for the best job he ever had: teaching Montessori. This style of teaching resonated deeply with him and allowed him to craft an environment for his students imbued with all of his favorite things: reading, nature, self-discovery, and experiential learning. As much as Loren loved his job and was proud of his students, his work did not define him. His passions were his family, nature, building things with his hands and volunteering in his community. In their Rockton home, Loren and Jan raised three daughters: Aimee Floto, Ellen (Luis) Diaz and Betsy (Chris) Kornelis. In 1984, the couple traveled to Ibague, Colombia, to adopt their son, Joe. Loren loved his wife and was proud of his children. Nothing brought him greater joy than spending time with them. He looked forward to the holidays, not for the lavish gifts – trail mix, The Farmers' Almanac and fan gear from his favorite teams dominated his annual lists – but because he loved the family togetherness and enjoyed the late nights crafting gifts for them in his workshop. In his summers off from teaching, Loren could be found gardening in his backyard, listening to the Cubs on the radio, grilling burgers over a bed of coals that he started with recycled papers and canceled checks, or up in a tree on a job for his own Flotowood Tree Services, a business he proudly ran for decades with his kids alongside him – with only one (known) accident with a chainsaw. Twelve months a year, he could be found rooting around in his compost pile, which he maintained with a passion that was inspiring to some and curious to others, but always a joy to Loren. He was also a devoted soccer fan, adopting a love for it while coaching Joe's youth soccer teams. While he closely followed the Chicago Fire and FC Barcelona, his favorite games to attend were the ones in which one of his four grandchildren were playing. He regularly traveled to Janesville, Wisconsin to watch Manny and Gaby Diaz play soccer, as well as across the country to Bremerton, Washington to catch Thomas and Lucy Kornelis during their fall seasons. Throughout his life, he was met with significant challenges and sadness. His father died suddenly when he was just a boy, leaving his mother a young widow with five children and an unpaid farm. His son Joe died a young man, in 2016, after a long, debilitating illness. And for more than a decade at the end of his life, Loren battled cancer. But Loren found peace and immense joy: in his love for his family, traveling with his wife, keeping up with his grandkids, the camaraderie he found in his men's cancer support group, walks through the woods, attending the Artists Ensemble and Rockford Symphony, watching a Barca game with his friends, journaling and writing poetry at his desk, listening to Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. In addition to his wife, daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren, Loren's survivors include his brother, John Floto, and sisters Gail Edwards and Carol Boyd. He was preceded in death by his parents Ernest Floto and Helen (Withrow) Terpening; stepfather Ezra Terpening; his brother Bill and his beloved son, Joe. A Heart for Service Loren retired from teaching in 2005, but never stopped working. In any given week, he could be found reading with students in his old classroom at Maria Montessori at Marsh in Rockford, clearing invasive plant species from the Carl & Myrna Nygren Wetland Preserve for the Natural Land Institute, sorting recycling at Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful recycling facility, organizing events with Peace Corps veterans, marching in support of progressive causes and human rights, or volunteering at Rockford's now-closed fair trade store, JustGoods. For many years, he proudly helped organize a Rockton based section of the Rock River Sweep and served on the Talcott Free Library board. "My unfinished project is to safeguard and manage the 60 ancient bur oak and hickory trees at the former Wagon Wheel Resort," Loren wrote in a story of his life that he shared with his family. "They would make a beautiful park someday if the Village of Rockton had the resources to acquire the land." In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Talcott Free Library or the Natural Land Institute or planting a tree in Loren's honor. A memorial to celebrate Loren's life will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 2, 2025 at Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford. The Rockford/Rock River Valley Returned Peace Corps Volunteers are also planning an event in Loren's honor. For further details regarding these events, please contact McCorkle Funeral Home or visit https://mccorklefuneralhome.com/obituaries/loren-floto