Laurie J. Kimball

Laurie Kimball died at home with her family on August 11th. She was born in Portland on December 20th, 1965, the daughter of Gail and Ed Kimball. Laurie attended Deering High School, where she excelled at math and played the tenor sax in the marching band, winning competitions all over the east coast. She graduated with Honors from American University with a major in Communications and a minor in Political Science. She chose not to become a reporter because she could not have been a bystander; she needed to help. Growing up, Laurie loved going to the family camp on Highland Lake in Windham, and took great pride in driving her friends around in their boat. In college she discovered her love of live music, attending over one hundred Grateful Dead shows over the next decade. She also kept a stray cat in her dorm room, and when she couldn't find its owner, she brought it home, the first of many animal rescues. In the early 1990s, Laurie got her scuba diving certificate and loved spending time underwater in places like Grand Cayman and Bimini. She eventually abandoned scuba diving for her new found passion for skiing, which lasted the rest of her life. She was a graceful skier who relished the opening of the snowfields and the backside of Sugarloaf. She found a community in Carrabassett Valley where she bought a camp in 2009. Laurie was a weekend warrior, sailing, climbing mountains and biking on both on trails and roads. She also loved to walk around the yard, watching birds and photographing flowers in her gardens. After graduating college, Laurie worked on a number of political campaigns, showing her life-long commitment to social justice. This developed into a profession working with and on behalf of people with developmental disabilities. During her 35 year career, Laurie served as Project Director for Speaking Up For Us, Maine's self-advocacy network for people with developmental disabilities, Director of Training at PSL Services, Training Coordinator for Maine DHHS, and most recently as the Director of Planning and Team Development KFI. Laurie's passion was ensuing people with disabilities had the autonomy, choice, respect, and rich lives they deserve. She gained a national reputation as a champion for social justice and person centered services. 2011 was a pivotal moment in Laurie's life: she became a mom to Iris and moved to Highland Lake with her whole family. She proposed to her wife Jodi in 2012, before same sex marriage was legal. At this time, she was between jobs and chose to be a stay-at-home mom. She volunteered many hours volunteering for the marriage equality campaign with her daughter tagging along behind her. Laurie and Jodi were married in September, 2013 on the shore of Flagstaff lake. Despite enduring multiple years of treatment for metastatic breast cancer, Laurie maintained her sense of humor and pursuit of joy. In the last five months of her life, there were two trips to New York with her wife and mother to enjoy Broadway shows, a trip to Florida for a music festival, and a bucket-list trip the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. She reveled in her love of live music until just over two weeks before she died. Laurie was most known for her integrity, her ability to make people feel safe and loved, and her radiant and sometimes mischievous smile. Laurie is survived by her daughter Iris, her wife Jodi Benvie, her life partner Jim Linsley, her parents Ed and Gail Kimball, her brother Scott and his wife Akemi, as well as her four-legged, furry family members Sprig, Haiku, Tinker, Ezra, and Bongo. A Community Memorial will be held 12 Noon Saturday August 24th at Friends School of Portland, 11 U.S. Rt. 1, Cumberland Foreside. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make a donation to the Dempsey Center or the Trevor Project. https://support.dempseycenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=11050&fbclid=IwY2xjawErMUZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHYMZhbcly9y-FLyoWw1sey8cuFHskYl-xWbx7aChWKU4AAW8l5Z9_lR2Lg_aem_nLKjSwrPVWgSFokMmGnVqg https://give.thetrevorproject.org/give/63307/?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_source=sem-googleadwords1&utm_campaign=generaleffort/&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzva1BhD3ARIsADQuPnWiMJOH4yhNNOpeRsIC8CknKNX5SYoKbWfFUln8SFCioQMEepvN078aAnjwEALw_wcB#!/donation/checkout?c_src=UMCOF250810250&c_src2=Nebo-Paid-Search

Laurie J. Kimball

December 20, 1965 - August 11, 2024

Explore Obituaries &
Upcoming Services