For the 65 years of our marriage and raising eight children, there have been many ups and downs; many joys and sorrows, but the most devastating has been the loss of Lois. This has left a great void in our lives and a hole in our hearts that only she can fill. I could go on and on about how much Lois meant to all of us, but will try to give a few examples of what Lois really was. She was always a very "social" person. When she was in first grade and we attended a parent-teacher conference for her, the teacher said, "Lois is a great student, and a very social person". When she would get to school and go to find her seat, she would go down the aisle and perhaps say, "Hi, Deb, and how are you today?" or to another, "Hi Jim, did you do your homework?" or maybe, "Hi, MaryJane, what did you have for breakfast? and on and on until she finally arrived at her seat. That is just the way she was; everyone she met she considered a friend. Of course she was an animal lover as all of our eight were raised with dogs and cats as part of the family. Her first pet that was really "hers" was a dog from the animal shelter named "Lisa". When Lois left for college, the dog was left at home, but when Lois came home, the dog knew the sound of her car and was barking and at the back door to greet her. While in high school Lois took a course in auto mechanics and restored a "67 Chevy she had purchased and used it all the while she was in college. Another time when we went to Park Forest to visit her, she had just repaired a gas water heater in her house there. Those kind of talents she inherited from her dad. There was no doubt that Lois was an avid reader; she just devoured books and that she got from me (her mom) as I always have been and still am a book-worm. The fact that she went into the insurance industry also probably came from me as I spent the last 20 years prior to my retirement as an insurance underwriter. She and I spent many phone calls discussing the books we were reading and what was going on in the insurance world. I will miss that. As to Lois being a "caring" person, I just want to mention that when her grandpa died, she was only five, but spent weeks with grandma to keep her company. Also, her brother Dave had a paper route when we were living in Iowa, and when the temperature got down to around zero or below and the papers were especially heavy on a Sunday morning, Lois got up very early and shared the route with him. I could go on and on, but these are just short examples of what Lois really was. She never met anyone who was not a friend. If she had something someone else needed, she willingly passed it on. We know that our loss is heaven's gain. All of our lives are richer and the world is a better place because Lois spent this short time with us. We can never FORGET you, Lois and we will love you FOREVER.