Lori Kay Marty

Lori Kay Marty, 51, of Fargo, ND, passed away on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Sanford Health West Campus, Fargo.

Born in Inchon, South Korea, on July 16, 1974, Lori was adopted as an infant by Roger and Margaret (Kalsow) Willits of Moorhead, MN. She was raised in Moorhead and graduated from Moorhead High School in 1992. During her high school years, Lori worked at Burger King, where she cherished her interactions with the group of locals that came in for coffee every day.

With encouragement Lori began her career in health care working as a cook at an assisted living facility in Hawley, MN, progressing to a health care aid and then a Certified Nursing Assistant. Through encouragement from her nursing colleagues, Lori would go on to earn her Associate of Science in Nursing. Upon finishing her nursing degree, Lori went to work at Prairie St. John’s in Fargo for nine years. When her position was closed during the COVID pandemic, Lori transitioned to a Jailor for the Cass County Sheriff’s Department. Driven by her passion for health care, Lori returned to college and was just one semester from completing her Bachelor of Science.

An enthusiast of games and music, Lori was always up for a good game of Scrabble, where her motto was “all’s fair in love and Scrabble.” Her love for music began at an early age, enjoying listening to nineteen-forties music classics, rock, country, blues and even an opera aria now and then. Coming from a very musically inclined family, Lori started singing with her father at the age of five when performed as Santa at the mall. She would later go on to sing with her dad, aunt and two cousins in a country and country rock band.

Lori will be remembered for her zest for life and lifetime of living, loving, laughing and learning.

She is dearly missed by her parents, Roger and Margaret Willits, Moorhead; stepdaughter, Savannah Samek; her special companion, Josh Rutten, Fargo, ND; aunts, uncles, and cousins also survive.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents.

A Gathering of Family and Friends for Lori will begin at 5:00 PM, Monday, July 27, 2026, followed by a Celebration of Her Life at 6:30 PM, in Korsmo Funeral and Cremation Service, Moorhead.

We invite you to take a few moments to share fond memories and words of comfort and condolence with Lori’s family in the Guestbook below her obituary.

(Korsmo Funeral and Cremation Service, Moorhead, MN)