Lori Coble has sadly passed away at the age of 48, leaving her husband Chris and their teenage triplets behind.
This devoted mother, who faced unimaginable loss, lost her battle with aggressive brain cancer on Wednesday, Jan. 21, as reported by her husband.
A blend of joy and sorrow
Lori Coble’s life was a blend of happiness and heartbreak.
In 2007, Lori and Chris encountered a tragedy that no family should ever have to face when their three young children — Kyle Christopher, 5, Emma Lynn, 4, and Katie Gene, 2 — tragically lost their lives in a car accident.
Lori herself was hurt in the crash, and when she regained consciousness in the hospital, two of her children had already lost their lives.
Chris remembers that moment clearly:
“She’s doing her best to climb out of the wheelchair to embrace Kyle, saying: ‘He needs to go be with his sisters now. His sisters are waiting for him.’”
“We turned off the life support, and the machines went silent. I kept my hand on his chest until his heart stopped beating. And he was gone.”
Despite their heartbreak, the couple made a promise: they would not allow despair to control their lives. Chris, who had had a vasectomy years before, and Lori chose to pursue IVF, hoping to give life another opportunity.
An extraordinary woman
A year later, they welcomed triplets — Jake Christopher, Ashley Lynn, and Ellie Gene — each named with the middle name of one of their siblings who were lost in the tragedy.
“It took me more than four years to emerge from the fog and pain of what occurred,” Chris shared with People.
The initial three years of raising the triplets bring a blend of joy and happiness, yet simultaneously, there’s an inner pain. These three little ones are pure joy… However, I was also trying to keep myself from breaking down in front of them. I would sneak into another room to cry quickly and then return with a smile on my face.
A friend described Lori as “extraordinary — everyone who knows her adores her. Above all, she’s a mom.”
But in June 2025, heartbreak struck again. Chris noticed Lori becoming oddly clumsy — she was bumping into walls, dropping glasses, and stubbing her toes. By early July, symptoms resembling a stroke began to show. “Her mouth started to droop a little bit,” Chris recounted. “It became too significant to overlook.”
Aggressive brain cancer
Tests confirmed a large, aggressive stage 4 glioblastoma.
“I was hoping we had moved past the life-changing, life-altering disasters where everything you knew yesterday is gone,” Chris expressed.
In the months that followed, Lori went through two brain surgeries, suffered a stroke, and spent 40 days in the hospital, with Chris by her side almost every day. She came home to start chemotherapy and radiation, but the treatments left her drained and struggling to communicate. Later, doctors found a severe infection in her brain that required yet another surgery.
“It feels like she’s just being tortured,” Chris shared with People. “I’m not convinced that the treatment for cancer in this case is any better than the disease itself.”
By December, Lori managed to participate in a Zoom interview, but the day prior, she was hospitalized once more due to pneumonia. Soon after, she was moved to hospice care at home, allowing her family to be with her in comfort during her last days.
“I’m doing my best to make each day as wonderful as I can for her,” Chris shared.
“I want to ensure that I have no regrets for the rest of my life about not doing everything I could every day for her.”
In a Facebook post announcing her passing, Chris wrote: “Lori passed at 9:25 pm this evening.” A family friend mentioned that Lori left this world surrounded by her loved ones.
The Cobles’ journey — from heartbreaking loss to miraculous new beginnings — showcases resilience, love, and the strength of the human spirit. Now, as they grieve yet another unimaginable loss, friends and family continue to honor Lori’s remarkable life.
Currently, the family has raised around $325,000 to honor Lori’s legacy.
