Renowned jewelry artist, mother of Harvard woman
Maude Lorah. (Courtesy photo)
Maude Lorah died in the quiet of her Concord home on the evening of Oct. 16, 2007, following a three-year struggle with cancer. She leaves her beloved husband, Larry; one son, Mark, and his wife, Sabrina, of Northfield, Vt.; one daughter, Kathy Farrell, and her husband, Vince, of Harvard; one grandson, Leo Farrell of Harvard; and several nieces and nephews.
She was born in 1938 and raised on a farm outside of Wichita, Kansas, where she found a spiritual connection with nature which later became the foundation of her artistic expression. She received her undergraduate degree at Purdue University. Later, while raising a young family, she earned her diploma of fine arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. For more than three decades she followed her calling as a fine-art jeweler. Her work incorporated sculptural forms inspired by the natural objects that surrounded her and was anchored by an intuitive vision which sought to portray archetypal balance. Over the years, she maintained studios in West Concord and Waltham, and then became one of the original artists at ArtSpace in Maynard. Her work was sold directly to local clients and through Handworks of Acton, galleries in New York, Boston and elsewhere, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Smithsonian, and the Whitney. Most recently, she designed an extensive line of innovative findings for bead artists as the basis of the HandFast partnership with her husband.
Maude was a 43-year resident of Concord and was active in town activities. Her family remembers her as a fabulous cook and a stylish dresser.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, at noon, at The First Parish in Concord, 20 Lexington Road in Concord, and will be followed by a reception. A second, private Buddhist service will be held for the immediate family at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445-7226. For obituary and guest book, visit www.deefuneralhome.com.
