ALSTEAD, N.H. – Lory Dean Molesky passed away at his home in Lexington, Mass. April 8, 2021 after a 4.5-year battle with cancer.
Lory was born June 3, 1959, as the first child of Bernard and Margery (Lindgren) Molesky, and was raised in the mining district of Alstead, N.H. His childhood was spent building tree forts and treasure hunting at abandoned mines and old dumpsites. Early success with metal detecting led him to a lifelong hobby of coin collecting. After graduating from Fall Mountain High School, Lory received degrees from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and SUNY Stony Brook, where he met Chia Shen. They were married in 1987 and both went on to receive Ph.Ds. in computer science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
He enjoyed chasing challenges and pushing the boundaries. As a 148-pound teenage powerlifter, he deadlifted 550 pounds – a state record at the time. His passion for skiing took him across alpine terrain throughout New England and the Rockies. He excelled at computer software architecture and development, and received numerous patents in data visualization and web UI design while working at Oracle Corporation.
Lory loved playing soccer, coaching youth soccer and basketball in Lexington, making musical YouTube parodies, playing board games, and spending time with his family. He was a musician and an artist. Like his father, Lory was a favorite uncle and made children laugh. During his last two years of life, he enjoyed crafting unique woodworking items and was a member of the LexArt woodworker’s guild.
He was the grandchild of Lithuanian and Swedish immigrants. He continued to make the world a more united place with his marriage to Chia, a native of Beijing, China. In addition to Chia, Lory is survived by his daughter Nadine, son Max, brothers Dennis and Todd, sister-in-law Anna, nephews Benjamin and Jack, niece Katherine, as well as aunts, uncles, and many cousins.
A memorial service will be held in New Hampshire Sunday, May 16.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, 41 Mall Road, Burlington, MA 01805, c/o Lung Cancer Research & Education, in memory of Lory Molesky, or online at www.support.laheyhealth.org/LHMCgive. Under Gift Designation, please select “Direct my gift to: Other, and enter LHMC Lung Cancer Research. Please also select Tribute Gift in memory of Lory Molesky.