Lora Southworth Stewart, 1953-2024

Today, we lost one of my favorite people in the whole world, my cousin, Lora. Lora’s husband, Paul, is my mother’s first cousin, and every summer when I would go to Nantucket, it would always be a high priority to meet up and have dinner and catch up with Paul and Lora. When I lived there during summers in college, I would babysit their kids, my cousins Perry, Dan, and Diana. I’m gratified to say that we have kept in touch and maintained a close relationship. It’s one that is very meaningful to me and makes the loss of Lora sting all the more. For me, Nantucket will never be the same. Still a slice of heaven, as Dan would say, but a little more empty for me.

The upright Baldwin piano in our house was the one that Lora took lessons on in North Andover. When they sold that house and moved to Nantucket full-time about 7 years ago or so, they gave us that piano. When I went to pick it up, I had help from Paul, of course, but also from our cousin, Nat Stevens. Afterward, we went out for lunch together, and it’s a memory that I will always cherish. They are two of my favorite people. Nat, in addition to being another one of my mother’s first cousins, was her favorite cousin growing up. They used to play together all the time.

Here are some photos that Diana posted on Facebook.