Laura Ann Bayless, 59 of Fitchburg

Laura Ann Bayless, PhD., passed away peacefully with her husband at her side on July 4, 2026. She was a mentor, friend, beloved aunt, cheerleader for her profession, respected administrator, and community member, known for her warm smile and welcoming demeanor. Laura was born to George and Charlene Bayless on November 16, 1966, in Kettering, Ohio. Growing up, she was active in her church choir, cheerleading, orchestra, and field hockey. A member of the Dayton-area Mary van Cleave Society of the Children of the American Revolution (CAR), she served as its president as well as corresponding secretary and president (1987) of the Ohio Society. It was through CAR that Laura learned the successful dynamic of participation in a mentor-mentee relationship, a skill she continued to exercise throughout her professional career. Laura resigned her membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution to protest its focus on fundraising over the treasured relationship development through CAR that had been so important in her own growth and participation. The Bayless family has long valued education, and Laura proudly continued the tradition. She earned degrees from Denison University (BA), Miami University of Ohio (MS) and Virginia Tech (PhD) where her dissertation explored “Non-academic needs of distance learners”. Laura’s supportive nature and fierce devotion to inclusion led her to a career where she helped students grow and thrive during their college years, touching many lives on their educational journey. She did not shy away from conversations about controversial or difficult subjects. Her work in student affairs was focused on small, high-impact state institutions, including Radford University and Longwood University in Virginia, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts, where she retired as Vice President of Student Affairs in 2025. With areas of responsibility that ranged from recreational services to university police departments to residence life and athletics, she tackled challenges proactively and creatively –whether it was establishing food pantries for nutrition-insecure students, addressing pandemic isolation during COVID-19, coordinating the rebuilding and repair of campus after a tornado strike, or leasing an unused cruise ship to provide overflow housing for a mold bloom in a residence hall. She worked collaboratively with populations from incoming first-year students to cabinet-level university colleagues, members of Rotary International to leaders of national professional organizations, and state and local community committees and commissions. In Fitchburg, she developed partnerships with community colleges and was an active member of the Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority Board, addressing current and future economic and educational needs in the region. She also served in leadership positions in a several national professional organizations. Laura published a large number of professional articles and book chapters as well as teaching at the doctoral and master’s level as adjunct faculty at several institutions. In recognition of her service, she received many awards and accolades, including the Student Voice award from the Student Senate at UW-Platteville for student advocacy, the Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Performance as a Chief Student Affairs Officer from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, and the Esther Lloyd-Jones Professional Service award from the Association of College Personnel Administrators. Wherever she lived, Laura built relationships in the local arts scene. She loved to sing in community and university choruses, play in handbell choirs, and perform in community theaters, especially enjoying roles as Sister Bernadette in Nunsense, Agnes in I Do! I Do!, and Truvy in Steel Magnolias. Her favorite role was Sister Berthe in a production of The Sound of Music. Laura made friends easily and developed deep personal relationships at each institution, but her life was incomplete until she reconnected with John Lohmann whom she had initially met at an ice cream shop in 1989 while in graduate school at Miami University. They became life partners in 2011 and they married in 2017. Laura was a devoted stepmother to John’s five children, loving them as her own. Together they nurtured and guided their children through challenges and triumphs over the last fifteen years in a household that always included a variety of cats and kittens. Laura loved to travel and experience new cultures, including professional adventures in The Gambia, the People’s Republic of China, and Brazil. Other travels included Egypt, the Netherlands, Germany, and France. She particularly loved the canals and architecture of Amsterdam. She also treasured Green Lake, Wisconsin, home of annual Bayless family gatherings where she swam with cousins and established boat ride and mini-golf traditions. In the midst of her health battle, she was buoyed by a final sisters’ trip to Paris and Giverny. Laura was a consummate gift-giver, finding just the right memento or experience to share with a recipient, as well as a vivacious hostess with an eye for bringing people together for conversation and sustenance. John was by her side for her eighteen-month battle with glioblastoma, as were her sister, mother, and several other family members and close friends. Despite brain surgery and countless rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, Laura never lost her kindness or positive outlook. Laura is survived by her mother, Charlene Bayless of Kettering, Ohio; her devoted husband, John A. Lohmann of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and five stepchildren, Simon (Halley Bass), Rowen, John E., Charlotte, and Soren; her sister, Rebecca Theobald (Chuck) of Colorado Springs, Colorado; aunts, cousins, nieces, a nephew, and grandnephew. She was preceded in death by her father. The family is grateful to the talented doctors and nurses at Massachusetts General Hospital who guided Laura through the stressful world of brain cancer and the gracious team at Rose Monahan Hospice Home for supporting her at the end of her life. A celebration of Laura’s life will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Fitchburg, Massachusetts on Saturday, August 1 at 4:00 pm. Buffett dinner will be provided. If you are planning to attend, so that we may provide a head count to the caterers, kindly RSVP by July 21 at LauraBayless.rsvpify.com. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to the Glioblastoma Research Organization (https://www.gbmresearch.org/), to the Rose Monahan Hospice Home (https://vnacare.org/patients/rose-monahan-hospice-home), or a charity that reflects your relationship with Laura.

Tributes

Laura Ann Bayless, 59 of Fitchburg

November 16, 1966 - July 4, 2026