July 31 2019: ALISBAH, Lorenda W.

Lorenda White Alisbah

“Lorie”

Loving wife, incomparable mother and the BEST grandmother ever died at her home in Bethesda, MD on July 27, 2019.  She is survived by her sister, Lynne and brother, Kim and her four children, Kathryn, Cemil “Jamie”, Tara and Nimet “Nimi” and her five grandchildren Eden, Patrick, Lindsay, Brendan and JD.

Born in Pittsburg, PA on November 22, 1940, she spent the early years of her life in Park Fairfax, DC.  At the age of eight, her family moved to India, a place she called home and where her family remained until 1968. Lorie attended various schools in India and later attended high school at the Roedean School for Girls in Brighton, England and returned to the U.S for college and earned a BA in Anthropology from American University in 1962.

After graduating, she worked for National Geographic Magazine until she met and married the love of her life, Bilsel Hamdi Alisbah, a Turkish national who worked for the World Bank as a member of the first Young Professionals Program. They were married on June 5, 1965 and began their lives together in Alexandria, VA and later lived in Ankara, Turkey and New Delhi, India before returning to the United States with their four children in 1975 where they remained until her husband’s retirement from the World Bank in 1993.

After her husband retired from the World Bank, they returned to Ankara, Turkey where her husband served as the Director of the Central Bank and later the Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister and then taught at Bilkent University.  The couple returned to the United States and retired in Hilton Head, SC and traveled the world together, going on several exotic trips each year.  After her husband’s death in 2017, she returned to Bethesda, MD to live near three of her children, her grandchildren and countless friends.

Lorie was a force of nature.  Her warmth, energy, caring and indomitable strength and sense of humor and adventure were incomparable. She loved and lived life to the fullest extent.  She lit up every room she walked into with her smile and unforgettable blue eyes.  She made everyone feel at home, brought a smile to everyone’s face and was tirelessly courageous and optimistic. As one of her grandchildren said, “She could make a person’s day perfect just by being a part of it.”  Lorie adored her grandchildren and always put them first.  She would make her special cheesecake for them whenever they asked.  She personified optimism and hope.   She was an incredible cook, avid bridge player, strong swimmer and enjoyed playing tennis and golf. The world has lost a ray of sunshine and her children have lost their rock.

A Memorial Service will be held at St. Francis Episcopal Church of Potomac, 10033 River Road, Potomac, MD on September 6th at 4:00 pm. Memorial contributions may be made to support her bother’s fundraising efforts in remote hill tribe villages in Thailand.  Please mail checks made out to “Road to a Better Life” to Kathryn Alisbah, 8921 Holly Leaf Lane, Bethesda, MD  20817. Please include Acct #058157959 in the Memo line. Donations are tax deductible.

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