Lori A Dando

Lori Ann Peterson Dando, born November 15, 1954, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, passed away on November 12, 2025, surrounded by loved ones in her home in Duluth, after a short battle with colon and pancreatic cancer.

Lori was born to her parents DelRay and Louise Peterson, joining three older siblings, DelRay (Sandy), Lynne, and Judy (Curt). The family lived in the Twin Cities where Lori graduated high school from Minnehaha Academy, class of 1972. She attended Bethel University (1972-74) and the University of Minnesota (1975-77) receiving a B.A. in sociology and English literature. In 1978, she started Law School at the University of Minnesota, receiving a Doctor of Law – JD, cum laude in 1981.

Lori met her husband, Stephen, at a mutual friend’s wedding in October 1979. They got married less than a year later (September 1, 1980) in St. Paul, Minnesota, and went sailing on Lake Superior for their honeymoon. After law school, Lori worked as an Assistant County Attorney for Dakota county for 12 years (1982-1994). At that same time Lori and Stephen started a family and raised two fantastic sons, Elliot (1985) and Eion (1987).

In 1992, Lori took a one-year sabbatical to attend Harvard Kennedy School. She graduated with a master’s in public administration in international relations and affairs. During her time at Harvard, Lori took the Foreign Service entry exam on a whim since it “sounded interesting”.

In 1994, Lori joined the U.S. State Department Foreign Service, embarking on her distinguished career in the diplomatic corps. This marked the beginning of her family’s overseas adventures. Lori worked in eight different countries and travelled to well over 85. Her career took her to Washington DC (1994-95, 1999-2001, 2007-08, 2013-14), the Dominican Republic (1995-97), South Africa (1997-99), India (2001-04), Denmark (2004-07), Kosovo (2008-10), Micronesia (2010-12), Rhode Island (2012-13), Eritrea (2014-16), and Kenya (2016-2019).

Lori was a dedicated diplomat and made immense sacrifices to better our world, conserve our environment, and advocate for social justice. She did this while juggling motherhood and the challenges of relocating the family every two to three years. Lori used her quiet poise, strong presence, and intelligence to navigate a male-dominated field. She supported minority voices in Kosovo while working for the EU, advocated for environmental protections as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN, and fought for institutional change as she climbed the ranks within the government.

After retiring to Duluth in 2019, Lori reconnected with her Minnesota roots and made up for lost time with family and friends. She was extremely proud of her two sons, the men they had become, and their dedication to the families they were building. Lori adored her daughters-in-law and particularly in recent years, didn’t miss an opportunity to share how happy she was that each of her sons found the partners they did. Elliot and Erin brought Kai into the world in 2018, and Atlas in 2020. Grandparenting perhaps brought Lori the most joy of all – not only her grandsons themselves but also watching Elliot and Erin parent with such dedication, patience, and kindness.

Lori was a true adventurer, environmentalist, and loved to travel and explore. She was planning a cruise to Antarctica, the one continent she had not visited, even after receiving her cancer diagnosis. Growing up Lori enjoyed spending summers swimming, waterskiing, and playing at their family cabin in Crosslake which she later shared with her family. She loved nature, being outside, hiking, scuba diving, camping, even scrambling up boulders in her Chacos in her late 60s. After her diagnosis, she made a point to get outside and walk as much as she could each day. Lori loved to cross-stitch, never missing a five-minute window to make a few more stitches on her latest project. She loved to bake and spend time in her sunlit kitchen, gazing out at Lake Superior. While living in Duluth, she continued to be politically active and even considered running for public office. She also volunteered for Duluth’s Natural Resource Commission and the League of Women Voters and became much more involved in her Church community.

Lori’s celebration of life will be held Saturday, November 22, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. central time at Peace Church (1111 N 11th Ave East, Duluth, MN 55805). The service will be livestreamed. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to an environmental conservation fund or social charitable organization of your choice.