Lado Lodoka, 44, was killed December 2, 2023 when the furnace he was working on in his Intervale Road home exploded. He was widely known as a generous, thoughtful man whose life was devoted to helping others.
Lado came to the US in 1995 as a refugee from war-torn southern Sudan. He lived with family in the Portland area and attended Portland High School. He then graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in political science, and went on to earn a master’s in development policy and practices from the University of New Hampshire. He also served in the US Army.
Lado was a trainer with the Center for the Prevention of Hate, and for the City of Portland’s Refugee Services Program before moving to Kansas in 2014 where he served as a regional refugee coordinator for the KS Department for Children and Families. Lado returned to Maine in 2017 and became program director for Maine Citizens for Clean Elections and the Maine League of Women Voters.
As a volunteer, Lado has served as board president for Cross Cultural Community Services, a leader in the South Sudanese Community of Maine, and the South Sudanese Friends Group. He was also the Chair of the New Gloucester Economic Development Committee.
A single father, Lado was devoted to his four sons and frequently spent the weekend playing basketball with them. He was proud of his garden and hosted annual harvest celebrations at his New Gloucester home.
Read the feature obituary in the Portland Press Herald.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support funeral expenses for Lado. You can donate here.
