Loss of Our Minnesota Champions

The Minnesota Association of SkillsUSA wishes to honor two wonderful women who inspired students and believed in the values and mission of SkillsUSA and who were strong supporters of the organization. Lorie Bremer and Maria Rifley who passed away during this past year were the SkillsUSA Champions to the hilt. Not only were they active SkillsUSA Advisors, but also were vital members of the Board of Director’s here in Minnesota.

Lorie Bremer- age 54

Lorie’s love of education and competition and seeing the students succeed and excel in their career field brought her great joy.

SkillsUSA brings students and industry leaders together to shape and mold the future of educated students. Lorie was involved with SkillsUSA for seven years. She served on the Board of Directors and was actively involved with the State competition for the Customer Service Contest area.

She enjoyed being part of the Leadership & Delegate conferences in the fall of each year. Lorie established the first nationally accredited college curriculum for the Property Management Industry. For the past seven years Lorie was an instructor at the Hennepin Technical College, Eden Prairie Campus in Eden Prairie, MN where she taught Residential Property Management. She was an educator all of her life.

Lorie inspired so many of us as advisors and board members with her love for the organization and for the students she worked with each and every day. Her spirit and memory will live on.

Maria Rifley- age 43

Maria was a confident and knowledgeable Cosmetology Advisor. But if you knew Maria you would feel like you had known her your whole life. She was a friend, a mentor and part of the family.

Maria and her colleague would talk about how they had the best jobs in the world and loved going to work every day. She had fun with everything she did. Maria would say to her students “If it’s not fun, we don’t do it.” She did every thing full steam ahead, she HAD to win. If it was worth doing, it was worth winning at. She played to win!

SkillsUSA was one of her greatest passions besides her family. She jumped into the organization with both feet. She was passionate about SkillsUSA and would say that the sea of red jackets she would see at the National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) stadium was amazing, professional, that and she was so proud to be a part of the organization. And if you knew Maria, she dressed to the nines everyday. She was more comfortable in three-inch heels than in flat shoes. One of Maria’s favorite conferences she liked to attend each year was the Fall Leadership Conference, to see students develop into leaders and young professionals in training.

Maria was a Cosmetology and Nail Care Instructor for the past five years at Carver-Scott Educational Cooperative in Chaska, MN. Maria’s smile and passion will live on in the lives of the students she taught and the SkillsUSA spirit she imparted to all of us.