It was a year ago that Lorelei Weimer left her beloved job as the longtime director of Indiana Dunes Tourism, a move that surprised many.
Later, it emerged that the Tourism Board of Directors had forced Weimer out and tried to quietly pay a $225,000 severance.
Porter County Commissioner Jim Biggs and Porter County Councilman Red Stone, R-1st, were among those who called the situation “mismanaged” and said that Weimer didn’t deserve the treatment she received.
As a result, changes were enacted with the Tourism Board that included the resignation of the board’s president.
Weimer, 57, has admitted that she “greatly missed ” her work with the Tourism Board, where she spent 32 years. During the last year, she has been mostly taking care of ill family members and waiting.
“I wanted to do something I am passionate about, is meaningful and would make a difference,” Weimer said.
The job found her as Weimer was brought on as vice president of the Laszlo Mission League, with the idea of assuming the role of CEO next year.
“Through this organization, I’ll continue the vital work my aunts Marilyn and Shirley started in the dense jungles of Papua New Guinea many years ago,” Weimer said,
The Laszlo Mission League is named after her late aunt, Marilyn Laszlo, a Liberty Township native, who left her life as a teacher in Lake Station to do pioneer missionary work with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea.
Laszlo settled in the Hauna Village in the late 1960s and spent more than two decades developing an alphabet for their native unwritten language. Eventually, Laszlo was able to translate the Bible into their native language.
Shirley Killosky, Laszlo’s sister and Weimer’s aunt, joined the operation in Papua New Guinea as a literacy specialist, teaching the people to read and write in Sepik Iwam — the trade language — and basic English.
During their time there, a hospital was developed in Hauna, which provides a vital service for many surrounding jungle villages.
Laszlo, who became a popular speaker stateside, died in September 2021. Killosky’s active missionary career ended with COVID-19 in 2020.
The Laszlo Mission League carries on their work, which includes funding the medical facility, education and sharing the Gospel in communities surrounding the Hauna Village.
While attending her aunt Shirley’s 90th birthday party in Boise, Idaho, last August, Weimer said that Topher Philgreen, the current CEO of Laszlo Mission League, approached her about the CEO job.
Weimer said the skill set that she developed during her tenure with Indiana Dunes Tourism fits with the work in her new organization.
“I’m excited to use my skills and get to do something that’s pretty significant,” Weimer said.
Weimer said she will still live in Chesterton. In March, Weimer plans to visit Papua New Guinea to focus on sourcing medical supplies and power tools from Australia. She will also meet with the local agency about improving the airstrip in the Hauna Village and assess what medical equipment is needed in the hospital to facilitate short-term medical teams from the U.S.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
