Lori Ann Roocks, age 62, of Menasha, passed away peacefully at St. Elizabeth Hospital on June 27, 2026, surrounded by her family after a courageous battle with cancer. She was born on April 14, 1964, in Neenah, WI, daughter to David and Sally (Thalke) Roocks. She graduated from Menasha High School in 1982 and from Lawrence University in 1986 with a degree in geology. Lori worked for Kimberly Clark for 39 years in research and development on training pants and several other hygiene products.

Lori had a love for dogs her entire life. Their family adored basset hounds, and they had five of them throughout the years. Lori’s love for her dogs crossed over to one of her favorite hobbies which was cross stitching. She made many beautiful projects that incorporated basset hounds that she displayed or gave as gifts. Lori was a very talented crafter. She enjoyed knitting, crocheting, cross stitching, quilting, sewing, and scrap booking, and she excelled in all of them. She made many gorgeous projects that she would gift to family and friends for holidays, special occasions, or just to brighten their day.

Lori loved spending time with her family and friends. Lori would spend a day with friends working on craft projects while talking, eating, and enjoying each other’s company. Lori enjoyed traveling with her mom, especially in the Midwest states. A lot of trips were weekend trips, but they always found plenty of things to see and do. They would search out quilting and yarn stores, walk through the cute shops, and find a local restaurant to try. One of their favorite trips was a weekend trip to Iowa every December where they took a class making Christmas cookies. After they finished the class, they would explore the decorated town. Lori would ask other family or friends to join them on the trips. She was always thinking of others. Lori also liked listening to concerts in the park, eating lunch there while watching the birds swim in the lake, and taking a scenic drive, especially to Door County.

Lori is survived by her mom, Sally Roocks; her aunt Gretchen (Michael) Mish; cousins Dawn (Jay) Vande Walle, Shelly (Brad) Gruszynski, Shawn (Kendra) Mish, Mike (Lydia) Lehrer, Jackie (Dan) Wisdom, Steve (Chris) Lehrer, Julie (Tim) Larsen, Pat (Karen) Lehrer, Ellen (Tom) VandenHeuvel, Ann (William) Joosten, and Paul Roocks; her beloved dog Mrs. Beasley, and many other family and friends, especially her dear friends from work and crafting.

Lori was preceded in death by her dad, David Roocks; aunt Marilyn (Daniel) Lehrer, uncle E. Thomas (LaVerne) Roocks; her grandparents Erwin and Ruth (Lemke) Roocks, and Richard and Amber (Holtz) Thalke.

Lori’s family extends its gratitude to the nurses and staff at Oakridge Gardens for the loving care and support she received in April for their assistance in getting her back home, Compassus Hospice for the wonderful care provided to Lori during the past few months, and a special thank you to the kind and caring nurses and staff at St. Elizabeth Hospital during this past week.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, July 10, 2026, at St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church, 473 7th Street, Menasha. Visitation will be from 11:00 AM until 12:00 PM, with the funeral service starting at 12:00 PM.