Lorraine " Lori" N. Fagan

October 2, 1971 ~ August 22, 2022
Lorraine “Lori” Nicole Fagan was born at Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, VA, on October 2, 1971. She grew up in Vienna, VA, but moved to Florida early in her adult life to be closer to the beach, which she loved. She moved back home to Vienna in 2007 after being diagnosed with lymphoma. She was a 15-year cancer survivor until a recent, short battle with lung cancer. Lori passed away on August 22, 2022, surrounded by her loving mother and sisters at VCU Medical Center in Richmond, VA.
Lori was predeceased by her father, James Vincent Chirichella, and her grandparents. She is survived by her mother Marian, sisters Christine and Denise, six nieces and nephews, and one great-niece.
The youngest of three girls, Lori was truly the baby of the family and often got away with things her older siblings hadn’t, making her the target of her siblings’ childish pranks. Growing up, the three girls were often asked if they were triplets or mistaken for each another, as they looked a lot alike. Despite any childhood sibling rivalry, they all remained very close and considered each other among their best friends.
Lori had the kindest heart and was the keeper of everyone’s secrets. The entire family shared all of their stories (good or bad) and confided in her. She talked with her mom and most family members daily. In keeping with the family nature, Lori was also the most stubborn and headstrong person, remaining in charge of her own decisions at all times. Despite her own lifelong health challenges, she rarely complained, always persevered, and made the best of her situation. She listened to everyone’s problems, big or small, offering advice, comfort, and support.
Lori was the rare combination of book smart and street smart, with a sarcastic and witty sense of humor. She started her career in the retail and wine industries before taking up closed captioning for the hearing impaired. She had a real knack for it and was a sought-after freelancer for many years due to her speed, accuracy, and strong work ethic. She captioned for international clients on many popular TV shows and movies, even getting the chance to “live” caption some music awards programs.
A real animal lover, Lori was a champion to the stray cats that always seemed to find her. Over the years, she was a cat mom to Trixie, Billy, Sebastian, Levi, and Precious. She also loved neighbor cat Max and her niece’s cat Jaime. But because she loved all animals, she hated when the cats brought her “gifts” of other animals or bugs, and did her best to try to save them from her kitties’ mischief.
Everyone loved Lori, as evidenced by the VCU staff bending the rules and allowing her beloved cat Precious to visit before her death. For this and the facility’s excellent care and overwhelming compassion, the family is grateful.
The family will hold a private mass and burial at Lori’s request. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a donation in Lori’s memory to VCU (support.vcu.edu/give/medicine or support.vcu.edu/give/vcuhealth), or to a cancer or animal/cat charity of your choice.
Lori was predeceased by her father, James Vincent Chirichella, and her grandparents. She is survived by her mother Marian, sisters Christine and Denise, six nieces and nephews, and one great-niece.
The youngest of three girls, Lori was truly the baby of the family and often got away with things her older siblings hadn’t, making her the target of her siblings’ childish pranks. Growing up, the three girls were often asked if they were triplets or mistaken for each another, as they looked a lot alike. Despite any childhood sibling rivalry, they all remained very close and considered each other among their best friends.
Lori had the kindest heart and was the keeper of everyone’s secrets. The entire family shared all of their stories (good or bad) and confided in her. She talked with her mom and most family members daily. In keeping with the family nature, Lori was also the most stubborn and headstrong person, remaining in charge of her own decisions at all times. Despite her own lifelong health challenges, she rarely complained, always persevered, and made the best of her situation. She listened to everyone’s problems, big or small, offering advice, comfort, and support.
Lori was the rare combination of book smart and street smart, with a sarcastic and witty sense of humor. She started her career in the retail and wine industries before taking up closed captioning for the hearing impaired. She had a real knack for it and was a sought-after freelancer for many years due to her speed, accuracy, and strong work ethic. She captioned for international clients on many popular TV shows and movies, even getting the chance to “live” caption some music awards programs.
A real animal lover, Lori was a champion to the stray cats that always seemed to find her. Over the years, she was a cat mom to Trixie, Billy, Sebastian, Levi, and Precious. She also loved neighbor cat Max and her niece’s cat Jaime. But because she loved all animals, she hated when the cats brought her “gifts” of other animals or bugs, and did her best to try to save them from her kitties’ mischief.
Everyone loved Lori, as evidenced by the VCU staff bending the rules and allowing her beloved cat Precious to visit before her death. For this and the facility’s excellent care and overwhelming compassion, the family is grateful.
The family will hold a private mass and burial at Lori’s request. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a donation in Lori’s memory to VCU (support.vcu.edu/give/medicine or support.vcu.edu/give/vcuhealth), or to a cancer or animal/cat charity of your choice.
The Owners and Staff at the Money and King Funeral Home, wish to express our sincere sympathy to you. It is our hope that we may be able to make a difficult time more bearable. Please feel free to call us anytime as we are always available to you. Bob Gallagher Funeral Director
Dearest Lor, how do you sum up a lifetime of memories? You have been my right hand lady, my partner in crime, my confidant, and my best friend since we were kids. There is nothing quite like a sister and I will cherish my time with you forever and wait to be reunited with you some day. Be at peace and know we miss you so much.
It is difficult to come up with one particular memory of Lorraine because they were numerous growing up together in our little cul-de-sac on Toyon Way. I had fond memories of the four of us playing Trivial Pursuit and Life (you otta have auto) on Friday nights before Dallas and Falcon Crest, hanging out on my driveway talking on hot summer nights, recording our unique version of “The Night Before Christmas,” Song: “Matches, Matches…are very dangerous,” tennis in the court with music blasting, your hair taking up the whole front seat of the Dodge Dart, playing the Detective card game for hours on end, your cousin’s assessment of her trip to Northern VA (I don’t know what’s worse: the bugs, the heat or you – referring to me), standing in the garden when I didn’t get my way (insert theme music here), arguing over whose idol was best (Rick, Olivia, or Michael), and eating your mom’s amazing meatballs on Sunday. We spent so much time together as kids, and I cherish all of those memories. My favorite memory that has stuck with me for over 40 years – we were sitting out on the curb together waiting for Christine to get home (another driving test? Lol), and you were done with our conversation. You said, “this is boring, I’m going to play Barbies with Denise.” That made me laugh then and still does today. It was a lifetime of memories packed into 12 years. Even though we have been separated by time and geography these past 30 years, I always considered you my dear friend and sister. Your passing has left a deep hole in my heart, but I am grateful for the amazing time and memories that we made together. Rest easy in the arms of angels, sister. Love you, John
There are too many memories for me to share so I’ll just say this. Lori was one of the best friends I could ever hope to find. We both worked for an online captioning company & that’s where we met. We became fast friends & she was always so helpful when I had questions. I mean she was above and beyond helpful & encouraging. She was also the best conversationalist.. she honestly cared about everything I had to say. I miss her so much. I love you, Lori. ~ See you later ~ Bethany
You will forever be remembered by your loving family. Although I did not know you personally I felt like I knew you through your wonderful mother. She will miss you very much and hopefully I can be there to help her through this time of sorrow. Edna Eagle