Laura Jean Dowell

Laura “Lori” Jean (Kankkonen) Dowell was taken from us way too soon after a two-year courageous battle with cancer on Jan. 30, 2018 at her home in Astoria. She was 59 years young.

Lori was born Aug. 30, 1958 in Astoria, Oregon. She was chosen by her parents, Richard E. Kankkonen and Nancy E. Stimson (Kankkonen) Loftin. She graduated from Stayton High School in 1976, but always considered herself a Fighting Fisherman because she only spent a short time at Stayton High School.

In 1977, she married Gary Kaufman and they had a daughter, Katrina. They later divorced.

In 1982, she married the love of her life, Tim. She chose Tim’s son, T.J., as her own, and never needed a piece of paper to prove he was her son, but made it legally so by adopting him, and making it official, with her name listed as his mother on his birth certificate, something that made her proud.

Together Tim and Lori started T.J.’s Auto Repair in 1990. Side by side they built the shop, along with the slave labor of their children, from the ground up. She was a gifted jewelry maker, which she proudly displayed and sold at the shop. She could sew, made beautiful stained-glass windows and clocks, was a great cook, and was always doing crafts.

Then she discovered Pinterest! Bling was her thing! She “blinged” out everything, from her daughter’s wedding to her last project she started, a Swarovski jeweled toilet (that she found on Pinterest) for her new house that she and Tim were building.

Knowing that her last days were near, she said her greatest accomplishment was her kids, her marriage, her business and her grandchildren, and took great pride in knowing Tim, Katrina and T.J. are together, and working hard to take care of the business that she and Tim worked so hard to build and make successful.

Lori fought extra hard to give her family and friends as much time as she could with her, and made her goal of seeing her daughter and son-in-law’s house built, and spending one last memorable Christmas in their new home, surrounded by her family and friends, and making sure Katrina upheld all her holiday traditions.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Tim Dowell; a daughter and son-in-law, Katrina and Mike Smith, and their children, Grayson and Taylor; her son, Timothy (T.J.) Dowell, and his children, Natasha and Angel; her sister and brother-in-law, Cari and Jerry Dudash, and their son, Jason; stepsister Paula Loftin; stepbrothers Ken Loftin, Charles Loftin, Richard Loftin, Terry Ward and his wife, Bonnie, and David Ward; her birth mother, Sandra Priolette; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Ken Dowell, Brenda Hansen, John and Rita McCall, Beverly Dowell, Jon and P-Nut Dowell, JR and Cherilyn Hageman, and Mary Jean Dowell; as well as several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Richard and Millie Kankkonen and Nancy and Ken Loftin; father and mothers-in-law, Kenneth and Mary Dowell and Rita and Alex Kindred; and a brother-in-law, Dennis Dowell.

A celebration of life will be held Feb. 11, 2018 at 2 p.m., at the Astoria Elks Ballroom, 453 11th St., Astoria, Oregon.

A private burial was already held at Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton, Oregon.