Lora Bumps,
Painter and Lover of Oysters, Dies at 100

By Beth Greenfield Sep 16, 2026

       Lora Bumps, a longtime Truro resident and painter of still lifes, died on Aug. 9, 2026 at RegalCare at Harwich. She was 100.

“She was smart, kind, an avid reader, and she had a phenomenal memory,” said her son, Luther. “And she was devoid of discrimination and imparted that to both me and my sister.”

She was born Lora Hemond in Mendon on May 22, 1926 to George Hemond, a defense contractor consultant and later a builder, and Helen Hemond, a nurse who had been one of the first women to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War I. Lora lived on the family farm owned by her grandfather, Luther Holbrook, until it was lost in the Depression; she then lived in several Massachusetts towns until her parents moved to Wellfleet in 1941.

Lora graduated from Wellfleet High School in 1943. A decade later, she wed Robert Bumps, a farmer who became a builder. The couple settled in Truro, adopted two children — Pam in 1958 and Luther in 1962 — and had a marriage that lasted for 54 years until Robert’s death in 2007.

Lora became a dedicated homemaker who had various other talents and interests. She was a gifted painter, said Luther, mainly creating still life images and studying with artists including Jerry Farnsworth and Milton Wright.

She collected antique bottles, too. To find them, Luther said, they would “go out in the woods with a metal detector,” as glass bottles would often be discarded along with metal trash. “She liked the shapes of bottles and the how the light went through them, and we had a fair amount of them on shelves around the house,” he said.

His mother also raised and bred Siamese cats at home, invariably choosing one kitten to keep from each litter. “At one point we had seven adults and two batches of kittens,” said Luther. “It was so much fun. They’re very social, vocal cats, and I think she liked the colorations and their personalities.”

In 1997, Lora’s daughter died of a stroke. “She didn’t talk about it much,” said Luther.

In her later years, Lora lived with her son, moving into rehab only for the last three weeks of her life. As for why she was able to live long enough to become a centenarian, Luther has a couple of theories. First, he said, “Me. I took good care of her. She said that and often thanked me.” He also pointed to her strong immune system, as she rarely got sick — not even when she tested positive for Covid at 94 but showed no symptoms. For that, he credits the fact that she was “fond of oysters,” which contain more zinc per serving than any other food source.

“She ate them two to three times a week,” he said. “We are pretty convinced that her eating oysters kept her from getting sick.”

Lora was “completely lucid right up until the last couple weeks,” said Luther, who believes she would want to be remembered for the kids she raised. “She was proud of both of us,” he said, adding, “It was really nice to have her for so long.”

Lora is survived by her son, Luther Bumps of North Truro; granddaughter Jessica (Smith) Debord of Chattanooga, Tenn.; grandson Justin Smith of Los Angeles; and great-grandchildren Savannah Debord and Kennedy Debord of Chattanooga.

She was predeceased by her daughter, Pamela Bumps Smith of Knoxville, Tenn.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10 at the Christian Union Church in North Truro.

Published In the Provincetown Independent, September 18^th 2026