Lois Mae Leach

life story

Her Story

Lois Mae Marshall was born on May 20th, 1933 in Eddyville, Nebraska, a small town in central Nebraska. She was the 8th of 10 children and had 5 sisters and 4 brothers. There is one surviving sister (Betty) and one brother (Bill).

She made a decision to accept Jesus and put her faith in Him as Savior as a teenager and lived a Christ-filled life for Jesus.

She attended grade school in a small one-room school with one teacher for grades kindergarten through the 8th grade.

After high school she attended Kearney State Teachers College and earned her teaching certificate. She then became the single teacher in a one-room school house for grades kindergarten through 8th grade and had 12-15 students. She taught for 3 years.

Lois met Allan Lavern Leach (called Lavern by family and close friends) on an outing with her sister Bonnie and husband Bob Myers. Shortly after meeting, Lavern served military training in the Marines and during that time Lois and Lavern corresponded by mail. After he completed his time in the military they were married on May 21, 1954 in Eddyville, Nebraska.

Over her lifetime she was a teacher, secretary, senior center desk clerk and cashier, and switchboard operator, among several other jobs. She was very adaptable and a quick learner, as well as good with people.

She moved numerous times as Lavern's career took them from Omaha, Nebraska, to Rawlins, Wyoming to Walnut Creek, California, to Jacksonville, Florida, and back to Danville, California. They retired in Loveland, Colorado and have spent the last several years in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

She was a people person and especially enjoyed small children. She could relate and talk with them on their level.

Lois and Lavern celebrated their 71st anniversary on May 21, 2025. She was a faithful devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.

Her many talents included being an exceptional cook and seamstress. She loved to bake bread and often her son Allan and friends would show up at 10am on Saturdays for fresh-out-of-the-oven sweet rolls. Over the years she made many dresses and jackets as well as fun children's costumes and draperies and other household items. She also did beautiful handwork including crocheting, knitting, needlepoint, and small hand-quilted pieces.

My mother-in-law Lois Leach

Lou Ann and I were fresh off our engagement when I first met Lois. We came out to Walnut Creek, California where they lived. We walked up to the front door and she came out and gave me a big hug! Having grown up with 3 brothers and no sister (until later), our family was not accustomed to lots of hugs as it was a fraternity of farm boys...not saying it was weird but just different. I soon began to realize though there were a lot more similarities than differences. Even though Lois and Al had raised their family mainly in the Bay area, the values they held and ingrained in their kids were practically a carbon copy of the ones I grew up with on the farm in Iowa. Their values of faith and family with strong ties still to their rural Midwest farm roots made my transition into their family very easy! The other thing that made it natural and easy was Lois' skillfully honed magic in the kitchen. She was trained as was my Mom to really kill it in the kitchen...can you say "meat and potatoes" magic! I was NEVER disappointed nor hungry when I left the dinner table in their home!!! Lois was a magician in the kitchen but two things I will never never forget...she made the absolutely best sweet pickles from cucumbers in their garden. When we would get ready to leave their place to head to our home, my greatest treasure was a many jars of her sweet pickles as I could wrestle away from Al. The other thing I will never forget were her caramel rolls...NOT cinnamon rolls mind you, but CARAMEL rolls! The best cinnamon rolls would bow in honor of her caramel rolls and the best part, there would be a fresh batch of them on the kitchen counter every time we visited :). Lois' favorite way to end the day was a bowl of ice cream and since Al usually refused to join her on that I was "forced" to join her (poor me).

Lou Ann and I made a career out of campus ministry and so churches would join our team of ministry partners. Lois was our faithful advocate on every mission's committee she served on which meant friendly faces greeted us each time we visited.

Every so often she would tell me with a little twinkle in her eye that I was her favorite son-in-law. Now I didn't have much competition but it was her fun way of reinforcing her love for me.

Let me sum up my rambling by saying that I just never did understand mother-in-law jokes at all...I could not begin to relate...thank you Lois, you were the best! :)

memorial service

Graveside Memorial

May 23, 2026

136 NE 92 Stapleton, Nebraska 69163