Longtime Porter County coordinator and coach Lorrie Woycik dies

Lorrie Woycik dedicated more than 50 years of her extraordinary life to Special Olympics Indiana and the athletes in Porter County. She was a coach and an administrator. She was a guiding hand, a stern reminder, a source of inspiration and even the subject of a documentary.

Woycik died Sunday in hospice, her room a gathering place for family and friends through the end. She was 93.

Born in North Dakota and raised in Staten Island, N.Y., Woycik attended Valparaiso University, where she played basketball, softball and volleyball. After graduation, she remained in town to coach basketball at Valparaiso High School.

She never left.

“There is nothing she would not do for her athletes,” Porter County athlete Karen Kerr said. “She was always inspiring. She never accepted, ‘I can’t.’ It was always, ‘I can.’ She was an angel to all of us.”

With degrees in elementary education and physical education, she earned a master’s in special education.

She was one of the first teachers hired at Vale Dale School, a private school designed for children with special needs who were not allowed at the time to attend public schools. She taught there for 14 years when Vale Dale was incorporated into the city school system.

A champion for her students and athletes, Woycik later served on the Valparaiso Community Schools Board of Education, working to ensure every student felt the dignity and respect they deserve.

“She was a rock, a monument, a stability to all of our lives whether we are an athlete, a caregiver or a parent,” former Porter County coordinator Diane Havrilla said. “She worked to meet all of our needs – mental, physical and spiritual. She was driven to ensure equality of life, to show that everyone has purpose of life and they knew it. She knew what you could do even if you didn’t think you could.”

Woycik was an early pioneer with Special Olympics Indiana. A year before the organization’s founding in 1969, she took a group of athletes to Chicago for the first national Summer Games at Soldier Field. She and her husband organized the first Special Olympics Indiana Winter Games in 1977. She served on the U.S. coaching staff during World Games in 1979, 1981, 1985 and 1987.

“Lorrie was an amazing person,” former Special Olympics Indiana President and CEO Dennis Schmidt said. “We are all lucky to have her as part of our lives. Lorrie was the kind of volunteer that gave me a sense of fulfillment in knowing all  Special Olympics volunteers are extraordinary people.

“Lorrie was tenacious but loving, unyielding but forgiving, a true coach,” Special Olympics Indiana President and CEO Jeff Mohler said.

Woycik helped found the Porter County program in 1972, becoming its first county coordinator. She also coached basketball, skiing, volleyball and swimming among other sports for Porter County.

The program has grown to now include 11 sports.

“She was an awesome lady,” Porter County coordinator Terri Hendle said. “She loved her athletes. There are not enough good words to say about her.”

“Lorrie lifted so many people to be their best,” former Special Olympics Indiana President and CEO Mike Furnish said. “There will never be another like her.”

A memorial service for Lorrie Woycik is 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, Attendees may gather in the narthex from 1-2 p.m. without family. Immediately following the service until 5 p.m. will be “Lorrie Story” time. There will be opportunities to either write a story, video your story, as well as share a story with her family. All will be held at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1700 Monticello Park Drive, Valparaiso, IN. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in honor of Lorrie to Immanuel Lutheran Church and School or Porter County Special Olympics. The service will be livestreamed. The link will be available closer to the date.