We remember those killed Oct. 9 in Erie through glimpses of how they lived.
Jennie Hagerty, executive director of the Mercy Center for Women, knew Lora Roberts as a former client of the center, which helps women affected by domestic violence, addiction and mental health challenges.
Hagerty wasn’t surprised that Roberts, 37, took on the role of a helper on Oct. 9 when she and a friend went to a house on Erie’s east side to rescue a relative. Both women were fatally shot outside the home, victims of a mass shooting that killed nine.
“This is how Lora was,” Hagerty said. “She left her home and went to advocate for victims in that house.”
A mother of five, Roberts volunteered and supported the Mercy Center long after her graduation. A former board member and alumna of the year, she also made use of its food pantry.
“It didn’t bother her,” Hagerty said. “Lora did what she did to feed both the souls and the stomachs of her family.”
‘She wouldn’t let you have a bad day’
Candles, flowers and photos formed a shrine at Manchester Commons in Fairview, where Roberts worked for more than eight years as a medical technician.
Coworkers Daisha Burns, Sherry Evans and Daniele Thigpen laughed and wiped away tears as they remembered their friend who left work on a Friday to help someone.
That was just like her, Burns said. “We were the same age, but she was always the mom of the group,” she said.
“She was part of us, the main piece of the puzzle,” Thigpen added.
If she was sad or worried, she didn’t share it, her friends said.
“I used to joke and make fun of her for being so happy,” Evans said. “She was always happy, positive, upbeat. She wouldn’t let you have a bad day.”
Her friends said there was little reason to think she would blunder into a dangerous situation.
“She had the worst anxiety,” Burns said.
As a result, “She never wanted to do wrong,” Evans said. “She never wanted to make a mistake. She wanted to know the answer before she did something. She wanted to do everything right.”
