BELOIT – Lora K. Reiter was born in Beloit, Kansas on January 15, 1939 to Loren and Lora (Daugherty) Reiter. She passed away at home on September 4, 2026 surrounded by loving family. The youngest of five children, she grew up on farms in Jewell and Mitchell Counties before the family moved to their farm just northeast of Asherville.
Her memories of youth on the farm would be familiar to many: she shared responsibilities with her siblings, milking cattle, tending to turkeys and chickens, hanging laundry. She played in the outbuildings, found spaces to hide away and read in the barn, and adored all the animals that surrounded her.
From her parents, Lora learned the importance of individual responsibility, a profound sense of her relationship to the land, and a fascination with language. Her father modeled self-reliance and a commitment to work hard and well at any task. Her mother, a prize-winning poet and newspaper columnist as well as a devoted farm wife, taught her the beauty, the nuance, and the power of the written word.
Lora often spoke of her first piano teacher, Paul Bohning, who instilled in her a concern for self-discipline, an attribute which stood her in fine stead not only as she practiced for hours on difficult pieces, but which contributed to her successes in academics and her own writing career.
After graduating from Beloit High School, Lora received a B.A. in English from the University of Kansas, followed by a year-long Rotary Fellowship in Poitiers, France, where she studied at the university. During that year, she traveled across Europe, began singing and playing the ukulele (later the guitar), learned to speak French well, and met students from around the globe in her classes.
Upon her return to the States, Lora completed an M.A. in English at St. Louis University and taught at Kalamazoo College in Michigan. But her curiosity and love for learning continued and, as her parents were growing older, she wanted to be closer to family. She took a position teaching at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas and returned to the University of Kansas to complete a Ph.D. in English, writing her dissertation on the poetry of Galway Kinnell. She taught at Ottawa until her retirement, occasionally teaching at their satellite campuses in Kansas City and Phoenix. She accompanied students to Mexico and later traveled and taught in Taiwan, Singapore, China, and Malaysia. She also revisited Europe, spending time in England, France, and Ireland.
Lora was especially proud of her published writing, first in small journals and collections of essays, but then on her own. She authored one novel, One was Annie, two collections of short stories, Animals Galore or Love Unconditional and The Sail Buggy, a collection of essays, speeches, and letters, From Ash Creek to China and Back, and two collections of poetry, Snake in the Cradle and Teaching Fences. She also edited and published two books of her mother’s writing, From the North Slope of the Solomon and Poppies in the Wheat.
Lora was dedicated to animal rights issues and was rarely without a companion animal during the course of her life. Though she favored canines, there were many feline friends she loved and two lovely horses who brought her great joy. She traveled with dog treats and spare collars and leashes in the event that she happened upon an animal that needed rescuing…and she was known to rescue an animal or two that already had homes! Her family often shares stories of her encounters with all sorts of animals and some of those stories found their way into her published work.
Though Lora never had children of her own, there were 13 nieces and nephews who “claimed” her, gathering around her to listen to stories, to look at slides and photos from her many trips abroad, to hear her play and to sing along with all sorts of folk tunes. Later, there were great-nieces and nephews who also came to know her well and to love her.
In her later years, she lived with two of her sisters, Peg and Bev, in Ottawa. After Peg’s passing, Lora and Bev relocated to Beloit. They were lively households, welcoming to visitors, with good conversation, good music, beautiful art and needlework, usually a game of Scrabble or Boggle, and plenty of laughter.
A woman of intellect and strong self-discipline, Lora served as a model to many who loved her, whether family members or students.
Lora was preceded in death by her parents, Loren and Lora Reiter, her siblings, Max (Nadine) Reiter, Peg (Norman) Donker, Dot (Lynn) Wicks, and Beverly Lorenz, nephews David Donker, Max Lorenz, Andrew Lorenz and Craig Reiter. She is survived by a number of nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews and great-great nieces and nephews.
The family would like to thank Dava Sherman, her great-niece, whose loving, gentle and patient caretaking over the past three years of her life allowed Lora to remain in her home, which would otherwise have been impossible. Thanks go also to the workers of Solomon Valley Hospice and the nurses and therapists of Angels Care.
Contributions may be made to the Pet Connection Sanctuary, Beloit, KS or to Solomon Valley Hospice.
Private services will be held at a later date.
