Lois was kind and diplomatic, the quintessential Southern
lady, always properly dressed as if going to church, resplendent with her ever-present
pearls and earrings that complemented her beautiful blond and always perfectly
coiffed hair.
She enchanted me with her stories, her memories, and friendly
advice which helped me cope with life in my new country and my new family. Slowly
she became my new family, more loving and accepting than any person could
imagine or deserved.
Lois was a perfect homemaker who took pride in her two
beautiful daughters and her husband, Harold, a WWII veteran of the Battle of
the Bulge. His gardening and bird hunting were legendary, and she supported him
with the love and care of seven decades of marriage.
Lois’ lovely home was always full of children, her daughters’
friends; they were welcome in her home, fed, and entertained in embracing ways
that invited them back over and over. Laughter and joy, games, roller skating,
movies, and going to Bible studies and church were particularly important in the
Turners’ life.
A pillar of the Okolona community, Lois was an accomplished
cook, florist, home decorator, nurse, mom, and wife. She always took care of
someone else’s needs first and, if advice was not sufficient, she rolled up her
sleeves to help.
Non-judgmental and fair, Lois imparted her wisdom to those
who sought her help. Lois did not need a license to practice nursing and
counseling – she was an expert because she had a giving and loving heart and a
good listening ear.
Lois was most proud of her two lovely daughters whom she had
later in life. She doted on them like they were delicate flowers and made sure
they would turn into accomplished young women, which they did.
Her sit-down dinners were legendary, every detail attended
to, and the food was delicious. She was famous for her upside-down pineapple
cake.
Lois taught me how to survive in a society that was as different
from mine as going to the moon. She listened, offered suggestions, recounted
her experiences traveling to foreign lands like Portugal, and helped me
understand the southern way of thinking and the southern culture.
Lois was my American mom and I always felt like I was coming
home every time I drove to her home in Okolona. She welcomed me, and eventually
my daughters, with open arms.
She nursed my wounds through a painful divorce and, when I
remarried years later, welcomed my new husband into her home.
Lois always teased her husband who regaled us with his
stories from WWII. Harold became a person we admired for his sacrifice to our
country, for his kindness to total strangers he met during the war, strangers whom
he fed in his military kitchen.
Lois had a unique talent to make her house a Home and Garden
paradise in which friends and acquaintances were welcomed and fed. The only
requirement was that they felt comfortable and at home.
Lois left this life on July 11, a few days after she
celebrated 72 years of marriage to Harold on June 30. She has become truly the angel
that she always was. She is probably teaching other angels in Heaven how to be better
role models and more human just like she was with people who surrounded her
because she was LOVE and GIVING, a perfect mom, wife, friend, and neighbor.
Wonderful tribute. Makes me feel like I knew her.
ReplyDeleteA lovely tribute to a dear friend who was by your side for many years!!! How wonderful she graduated to Heaven, Now we wait...not so very long I think!!!💕😊
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this beautiful, heart-felt tribute for your friend, Ileana. What a role model! I was deeply touched by your description of her.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had met Lois!
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