Lori (McDonald) Baysden

It is with great sadness that we must announce that Lori McDonald Baysden passed away on January 2, 2024, following a two-year battle with cancer.

Lori was born on April 6, 1966, to Rev. Harold and Betty McDonald in Asheville, NC. Following her graduation from Albemarle Senior High School in 1984, she attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she graduated in 1988.

After graduating from UNCG, Lori held a number of different positions of employment, the most recent being an administrative assistant for the law firm Monroe, Wallace, Morden and Sherrill in Raleigh, NC. It wasn't her work, however, which provided the primary source of meaning to Lori's life. Everyone who knew her was abundantly aware that her defining passion, and her greatest source of joy and fulfillment, was family. Her four children - Sydney, Reilly, Ashton, and Harrison, her son-in-law Stephen Spivey (Sydney's husband), and her grandson Miller (son of Sydney and Stephen), occupied the majority of her time and the totality of her heart. Lori was never as contented as when she was surrounded by her family, whether gathered around the table at home or relaxing in the sand and surf at the beach.

In addition to her children and grandson, Lori is survived by her parents, Harold and Betty McDonald, her sisters Carole Lewis and Susan McDonald, and her brother Hal McDonald.

A drop-in celebration of Lori's life will be held at the home of Sydney and Stephen Spivey on Saturday, January 20 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. The address is 101 Witham Court, Holly Springs, NC.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Cancer Research Institute.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lori (McDonald) Baysden, please visit our floral store.