The youngest daughter of Jock Bedell and Anna Rosalie Henderson, Lorna was a rebel at heart who became an independent, rebellious young lady. As a result, Lorna’s parents sent her to Baldwin Girls School in Pennsylvania for a while.
Lorna met and fell in love with Ed Diehl. At age 17, Lorna lied to her parents about visiting her uncle and caught a train to Ironton, Ohio, where she and Ed were married by the Rev. A.R. Henderson in 1911. The newly weds lived in Huntington, West Virginia, for a while and then moved to Topeka, Kansas. In 1913, Lorna gave birth to their son Paul. Lorna wrote to her mother Anna Rosalie about being homesick, and she and Paul visited Henderson Hall often. Lorna and Ed’s marriage was short-lived. Ed filed for divorce and Lorna moved to Los Angeles, where she lived for most of her adult life.
Lorna tried to find a career in California. She worked as a nanny for actress Marlene Dietrich. After a while, she began doing investigative work for private agencies, actresses and movie producers. Some of her other clients included large banking institutions and government agencies including the U.S. Department of Justice.
Lorna remarried, but that, too, was short-lived due to the passing of her husband.
When her brother Jock Lee died in 1970, Lorna returned to Henderson Hall where she lived until her death in 1984.
A portrait of young Lorna, who loved the glamour of the latest fashion
Lorna and her son Paul during a visit to Henderson Hall
Of Note
Youngest daughter of Jock Bedell and Anna Rosalie
Last direct descendant of Jock’s family to live at Henderson Hall
