Lori Strozzi, 59

Lori Strozzi, 59, of Whitehall, passed away on May 4th, 2024, in the presence of her family following a brief and rare illness.

Lori was born in Seattle, WA, on September 29, 1964, to parents Curt and Carole Newby. The oldest of three children (siblings Jeri Eason and John Newby), the family moved between Havre, Cheyenne, WY, Zurich/Chinook area, and Whitehall in her early years. They settled in Whitehall in 1980 and it was then she met her husband, Rick Strozzi. They soon married on August 15, 1981. This year would have marked their 43rd wedding anniversary.

Rick and Lori have five children (Callie Blanton, Ashleigh Merritt, Tadd Strozzi, Ryan Strozzi, and Dylan Strozzi), and she was deeply proud of each and every one of them. She was so grateful that they all stayed close to home and could show up for family dinners and birthdays on a regular basis. While Rick and Lori had five human children together, anyone close to Lori knows she also had a sixth child named Walter, who went everywhere with her. Always posing for photos, regularly seen on the news, and somewhat of a celebrity, most have come to know him as “Walter the NAPA Dog.” While Lori loved being a mom, her favorite title was Grandma, and she was the absolute best grandma. Weekends at grandma’s house were spent doing all sorts of crafts, scavenger hunts, pony and RZR rides with never a dull moment.

Lori loved her family greatly, and they were her pride and joy. She meticulously planned and coordinated many memorable and famous “Strozzi Vacations” in places like Moab, Zion, Lake Powell, Coral Pink, and Sand Hollow. The vacation at hand wouldn’t be half done before she was scheming and planning for the next adventure with family and friends that would easily cumulate into groups of 30+. In addition to big family vacations, she was always planning camp trips, poker rides, and bonfires for fun get-togethers. Always the one to make sure everyone felt included and many times the life of the party, she will be greatly missed.

Aside from her family, Lori’s other great love was horses. Lori got her first horse when she was seven years old and was an avid horsewoman afterward. She enjoyed training her young horses and traveling all over the state, competing in barrel races. It didn’t matter whether it was rain or shine; she was dedicated to racing and would pull her trailer all over the state, even if it meant going by herself. Although she hauled herself on many occasions, she was never alone, as she made many friends in the racing community along the way. Her most recent dream was spending winters in Arizona working on the property she and Rick had purchased and being able to barrel race all year round.

Lori and the family were truly touched by the outpouring of love when her community learned of her battle with this illness. The generous donations and auctions brought tears to her eyes and made it possible to get her home where she could pass being surrounded by family.

A memorial service in Lori’s honor will be held Friday, May 24th, at 2 PM, at the beautiful wedding venue, The Copper K Barn (786 Point of Rocks Rd) in Whitehall. A reception will immediately follow the service.