Lori Coble has passed away at the age of 48.
The mother of teenage triplets — who previously lost her first three children in a tragic car accident — died from brain cancer on Wednesday, Jan. 21, a family friend confirmed.
“Lori passed away last night surrounded by her family,” the friend shared exclusively with PEOPLE.
Lori’s life was marked by both deep love and profound loss. In 2007, she and her husband, Chris, lost their three young children — Kyle Christopher, 5, Emma Lynn, 4, and Katie Gene, 2 — in a car crash. After months of grief, the couple decided to try for another child. One year later, they welcomed triplets: Jake Christopher, Ashley Lynn, and Ellie Gene, each given a middle name honoring their older siblings.
For the next 16 years, Lori and Chris devoted themselves to raising their family. But in June 2025, Chris began noticing troubling changes. Lori became increasingly unsteady, frequently bumping into things and dropping objects. By early July, she developed symptoms that resembled a stroke, including facial drooping.
That month, doctors diagnosed Lori with an aggressive stage 4 glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer.
Chris said the diagnosis felt like another devastating blow. “I hoped we were past the life-altering disasters,” he previously told PEOPLE. “I started grieving the loss of my wife the day she was diagnosed. I was angry and heartbroken — wondering how this could happen to us again.”
Over the following months, Lori underwent two surgeries to remove the tumor. The second procedure was especially complex and left her without control of the left side of her body. Soon after, she suffered a stroke and was placed in a medically induced coma. She remained hospitalized for 40 days, with Chris by her side almost every day.
After regaining some strength, Lori returned home to begin chemotherapy and radiation. However, the treatments left her exhausted and affected her ability to speak, and her condition continued to decline. In mid-November, doctors discovered a serious brain infection that required another surgery.
“At times it felt like she was being tortured,” Chris said. “I don’t know if the treatment was any better than the disease.”
In early December, Lori briefly felt well enough to plan a Zoom interview with PEOPLE, but the day before, she was hospitalized again with pneumonia and a lung infection. Not long after, she returned home under hospice care.
Her final weeks were difficult for her family, including her three children, who are seniors in high school. Still, their priority was her comfort.
“I’m trying to make every day the best I can for her,” Chris said at the time. “I don’t want to live with regrets knowing I didn’t do everything possible.”
Chris announced Lori’s passing on Facebook on Jan. 21, writing that she died at 9:25 p.m.
A GoFundMe has since been created to support the family.
