- The Tallahassee community remembered Lori Paige Tuesday night with a memorial celebration.
- Stories and memories were shared by teachers and faculty from her former Griffin Middle School
- Watch the video to find out how Lori is being remembered.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Celebrating the life of Lori Paige, it's what the Tallahassee community did inside this church weeks after her remains were found.
Tallahassee remembered Lori Paige Tuesday evening, as the community filled Bethel AME church to celebrate the dedicated, passionate, and caring former Griffin Middle School student.
Those who knew Lori personally and even those who didn’t -- but feel like they did through the 22-month-long search effort for Paige, including Stephanie Tolbert, a teacher at Griffin.
"It’s devastating to Griffin to know we’ve lost such a sweet soul, so I’m not here to mourn her death but to celebrate her life and what we remember," said Tolbert.
Those memories were shared in abundance Tuesday, especially by Margie Summers, who spearheaded the search efforts for Lori.
"That’s the best feeling I’ve had since she went missing and for all the people that came out and said that she mattered, that was really satisfying," said Summers.
One of the key takeaways from the memorial was how the community wants Lori’s story to live on and to also be the foundation of the next efforts to protect Tallahassee’s children.
"I think if I see another kid like that, I’ll realize, if this kid needs me to be proud of her that much, maybe she needs me to have a conversation with her too," said Summers.
These teachers saying they know Lori is looking down on this community with love.
"She’s smiling, she’s smiling to be celebrated. To know so many people loved her," said Tolbert.
Definitely not many dry eyes at Bethel AME. Our hearts are with those who are grieving over a life taken far too soon.
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