Lois Allison, age 91, died on April 7, 2021 at Buhler Active Living Center in Winkler Manitoba. Lois was the loving wife to Lyall Allison of Roland for 63 years.
Lois was born at Dugald Manitoba. She was the third child of Bruce and Florence Edie. Later the family grew to 6 children: Norman, Arnold, Lois, Glen, Verna and Kenneth. Lois was raised on the family grain and dairy farm near Dugald until she was 10 years old.
In 1940 the Edie farm was expropriated to become part of the Cordite Plant. The plant made propellant for explosives used in the Second World War. The family moved two miles away and continued grain and dairy farming there. The children then attended Cornwall school.
Lois attended high school in Dugald and completed Grade 12 at United College in Winnipeg while living in residence there. The following year she attended Normal School in Winnipeg and graduated with her teacher’s certificate in 1948.
She taught in three different locations over the next three years: Hunter, Oakland and Portage La Prairie. She then returned to University taking First Year Arts at the University of Manitoba. She taught one more year in Portage then taught at Cornwall school, living with her parents again. She then taught in Roland for 3 years. During those three years she taught a combined Grade 3 and 4 class always with more than 40 students.
In Roland she joined the Square Dance Club. Lyall Allison was also a member. They met and became friends. Lyall and Lois were married July 20, 1957. They remained members of square dancing clubs and danced regularly for over 60 years.
Lois became a full time farm wife and mother to 5 girls. She did all of the support work a farm wife does as well as ran tractors and drove grain truck during the busy seasons. She did not really enjoy this work and announced many times she had now retired and did not need to drive tractor anymore because the girls could do it now.
Lois was a dedicated caregiver. She was always caring and patient with her own children; Linda (1958), Beth (1960), Karen (1962), Gwen (1964) and Mavis (1967) and to any others she had contact with. She was a 4-H leader, a Sunday School teacher, an Auntie, a grandmother and a mother.
She believed in teaching and learning. She taught her own children, grandchildren and many others how to read, crochet, knit, play piano, use proper grammar, sew, give a speech, bake and anything else they wanted to know. She learned the language Esperanto, which was purported to be a language everyone could learn and then use to communicate with anyone in the world. She retaught herself how to type when she was past 60 so she could record family stories and history. She believed in keeping her brain active. Lois was an avid reader. She read the newspaper every day and was always well versed in current events and could explain her opinions and views on politics and other issues.
Church work was important to Lois. She was a choir member, United Church Women leader, Sunday School teacher and superintendent. She served on presbytery for many years.
The family enjoyed camping. The green bus that was converted to a camper traveled many miles and made it to Camp Wannakumbac for Family Camp every year. In later years, Lyall and Lois took their Leisure Travel Van on many trips to the United States and across Canada.
Lyall and Lois enjoyed their association with IAEA, an organization that arranged for young people to work on farms in other counties. Over the years they hosted 16 trainees. Linda and Mavis also participated in this program. Later they visited some of these trainees in New Zealand and Germany on their travels.
1981-1982 was the year of the weddings for Lyall and Lois. Linda married Doug Wilton of Carman in September 1981. Karen married Murray Hiebert of Miami in December 1982. Beth married Blaine White of Kenora in April 1983. A few years later, Gwen married James MacEwan of Winnipeg in May 1987 and Mavis married Bill Green of Portage La Prairie in July 1998.
Lois was very proud of her children, grandchildren and nieces and nephews. She would want it mentioned that all 5 of her daughters have University Degrees and are capable parents. She liked to mention the accomplishments of her 20 grandchildren whenever she could. She loved seeing any of her 13 great grandchildren.
She loved people. Getting together with friends to play games was a joy to her. She was always ready to pause what she was doing to have a conversation. She had fun hosting friends or relatives that dropped by and holding large family picnics.
Lois and Lyall moved to a “small house” attached to Doug and Linda Wilton’s house in 2014. They lived there for the next seven years, benefitting from the care and active lifestyle of the Wilton household. They continued to be active dancing and shuffling regularly as well as enjoying seniors’ programs.
In January 2021 Lyall and Lois moved to The Villages in Buhler Active Living Center. In spite of her progressive decline due to Alzheimer’s, Mom was always kind, patient, interested, loved to sing and remembered hundreds of songs, she remained polite and considerate and continued to love being with people. She remained loving and dedicated to Lyall always. She was often found holding his hand as they spoke or sat together. The kind staff at Buhler, who cared for her the last three months of her life, often commented on her kind, gentle, patient ways.
Lois was a lovely person. She will be sadly missed by her husband Lyall, family, friends and the Roland community.
Lois was born at Dugald Manitoba. She was the third child of Bruce and Florence Edie. Later the family grew to 6 children: Norman, Arnold, Lois, Glen, Verna and Kenneth. Lois was raised on the family grain and dairy farm near Dugald until she was 10 years old.
In 1940 the Edie farm was expropriated to become part of the Cordite Plant. The plant made propellant for explosives used in the Second World War. The family moved two miles away and continued grain and dairy farming there. The children then attended Cornwall school.
Lois attended high school in Dugald and completed Grade 12 at United College in Winnipeg while living in residence there. The following year she attended Normal School in Winnipeg and graduated with her teacher’s certificate in 1948.
She taught in three different locations over the next three years: Hunter, Oakland and Portage La Prairie. She then returned to University taking First Year Arts at the University of Manitoba. She taught one more year in Portage then taught at Cornwall school, living with her parents again. She then taught in Roland for 3 years. During those three years she taught a combined Grade 3 and 4 class always with more than 40 students.
In Roland she joined the Square Dance Club. Lyall Allison was also a member. They met and became friends. Lyall and Lois were married July 20, 1957. They remained members of square dancing clubs and danced regularly for over 60 years.
Lois became a full time farm wife and mother to 5 girls. She did all of the support work a farm wife does as well as ran tractors and drove grain truck during the busy seasons. She did not really enjoy this work and announced many times she had now retired and did not need to drive tractor anymore because the girls could do it now.
Lois was a dedicated caregiver. She was always caring and patient with her own children; Linda (1958), Beth (1960), Karen (1962), Gwen (1964) and Mavis (1967) and to any others she had contact with. She was a 4-H leader, a Sunday School teacher, an Auntie, a grandmother and a mother.
She believed in teaching and learning. She taught her own children, grandchildren and many others how to read, crochet, knit, play piano, use proper grammar, sew, give a speech, bake and anything else they wanted to know. She learned the language Esperanto, which was purported to be a language everyone could learn and then use to communicate with anyone in the world. She retaught herself how to type when she was past 60 so she could record family stories and history. She believed in keeping her brain active. Lois was an avid reader. She read the newspaper every day and was always well versed in current events and could explain her opinions and views on politics and other issues.
Church work was important to Lois. She was a choir member, United Church Women leader, Sunday School teacher and superintendent. She served on presbytery for many years.
The family enjoyed camping. The green bus that was converted to a camper traveled many miles and made it to Camp Wannakumbac for Family Camp every year. In later years, Lyall and Lois took their Leisure Travel Van on many trips to the United States and across Canada.
Lyall and Lois enjoyed their association with IAEA, an organization that arranged for young people to work on farms in other counties. Over the years they hosted 16 trainees. Linda and Mavis also participated in this program. Later they visited some of these trainees in New Zealand and Germany on their travels.
1981-1982 was the year of the weddings for Lyall and Lois. Linda married Doug Wilton of Carman in September 1981. Karen married Murray Hiebert of Miami in December 1982. Beth married Blaine White of Kenora in April 1983. A few years later, Gwen married James MacEwan of Winnipeg in May 1987 and Mavis married Bill Green of Portage La Prairie in July 1998.
Lois was very proud of her children, grandchildren and nieces and nephews. She would want it mentioned that all 5 of her daughters have University Degrees and are capable parents. She liked to mention the accomplishments of her 20 grandchildren whenever she could. She loved seeing any of her 13 great grandchildren.
She loved people. Getting together with friends to play games was a joy to her. She was always ready to pause what she was doing to have a conversation. She had fun hosting friends or relatives that dropped by and holding large family picnics.
Lois and Lyall moved to a “small house” attached to Doug and Linda Wilton’s house in 2014. They lived there for the next seven years, benefitting from the care and active lifestyle of the Wilton household. They continued to be active dancing and shuffling regularly as well as enjoying seniors’ programs.
In January 2021 Lyall and Lois moved to The Villages in Buhler Active Living Center. In spite of her progressive decline due to Alzheimer’s, Mom was always kind, patient, interested, loved to sing and remembered hundreds of songs, she remained polite and considerate and continued to love being with people. She remained loving and dedicated to Lyall always. She was often found holding his hand as they spoke or sat together. The kind staff at Buhler, who cared for her the last three months of her life, often commented on her kind, gentle, patient ways.
Lois was a lovely person. She will be sadly missed by her husband Lyall, family, friends and the Roland community.