September 22, 1931 – September 03, 2021 (age 89)
Lois Lucile Lower passed away peacefully on September 3, 2021 in American Falls, Idaho.
She was born Lois Lucile Bush on September 22, 1931 in Malad, Idaho. Her parents were James Clifford and Emma Lucile Bush and spent her childhood in Holbrook, Idaho. The remains of the barn and windmill can still be seen on the farm a few miles north of Holbrook. She was the older sister to Joyce (Duane) Lloyd, James Clifford Jr. (Sandra), and Nancy Johnson.
She attended school in Malad where she graduated from high school in 1949 as the class Valedictorian and then began the yearly commute to Moscow, Idaho to attend the University of Idaho, graduating in 1953 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism.
It was in college where she met her future husband, William F (Bill) Lower, and they married in at her parent’s house in Malad, July 5, 1953. So began 65 + years of marriage and travel. They lived in Moscow, Hailey, Stanley, and Challis, Idaho; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Houston, Texas; Washington, NJ; Salt Lake City, Utah; and finally retired to Malad in 1993. Mom loved road trips and she kept a framed map in the living room with highways marked in black or red showing which had been driven and which ones hadn’t. It wasn’t uncommon for her to suggest as side trip miles out of the way to see something she thought was interesting.
Lois and Bill had seven children; Deborah, Clearwater, FLA; Gail Ruth, Malad, ID; Marianne, Clearwater, FLA; Lyle (Shauna), Salt Lake City, UT; Will (Kristen), Rockland, ID; Tom (Becky), Preston, ID; and Andy (Mark), Wilmington, DE. Raising kids is difficult enough with one, but she managed with seven and loved them all with her whole heart. She was the proud grandmother to 16 and great grandma to 10. Her family is spread all over the country.
As a journalist, Lois worked for numerous small-town newspapers. Some of these were in Challis, ID; Eureka, NV; and Malad, ID. As a writer she submitted samples to various publications and had a few published, notably one in a science fiction magazine. She wrote news stories, feature articles, and untold numbers of Primary and Sunday School talks for the children. Once she even wrote a talk on the way to church with a child on her lap using the dashboard of a Volkswagen beetle for a table.
Speaking of cars, the very first car Lois and Bill owned was a 1946 Nash. It must have been their favorite because 46 Nash was their computer password for a long time. As children arrived they had to move to larger cars, most often station wagons. The last station wagon, a 1969 Chrysler still sits behind the house in Malad. There was also a string of pickup trucks and minivans, and at one time a string of Volkswagens. Imagine if you can, Dad driving to church in a Beetle with Mom holding Tom on her lap while pregnant with Andy. Debby, Gail, and Marianne were in the backseat, and Lyle and Will squished into the cubbyhole between the rear wheels.
After she and Dad retired, Mom focused a lot of time on genealogy. It was not uncommon to find her napping, face down in her genealogy books in the middle of the day. She was proud of all the Malad families she was related to, however distant they might have been. For many years she and Dad ran the Genealogy Library one night a week, helping other people navigate websites and generally being enthusiastic about their ancestors. She has dozens of 3 and 4 inch binders with family information. Many of these binders were about one individual. In some family lines she was able to go back more than generations.
Now Lois has joined those ancestors. She was preceded in death by her parents Cliff and Lucile, her husband Bill, younger sister Joyce and younger brother Jim, and one grandson, Benjamin James Lower.
She is survived by her youngest sister Nancy, and her children and grandchildren.
Mom’s funeral will be Friday, September 17, 2021 at 11:00 with a viewing just prior. It will be held at the Malad 4th Ward chapel at 150 south, 100 west, Malad, Idaho.
Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at Horsley Funeral Homes.