Drew, Lois Elaine (Foltz) 1938 - 2012

DREW, FOLTZ, QUANDAHL, TEKIPPE, YU

Posted By: Bill Waters (email)
Date: 5/23/2013 at 20:30:18

Lois Elaine Drew, 74, of Hampton passed away peacefully in her sleep on Friday, June 8th, at the Rehabilitation Center in Hampton. She was preceded in death by her parents, Earl E. Foltz and Lillie Luella (Quandahl) Foltz and her brother Leo E. Foltz. She is survived by her sister, Shirley Tekippe of Independence, Iowa; Jim Drew of Hampton; Tom Drew, of Des Moines; Ann Drew Yu, of St. Louis Park, Minnesota; and seven grandchildren. There will be a private family service at the Locust Cemetery in Winneshiek County where she will be laid to rest with her parents and brother.

Inurnment Sermon by Pastor Nancy Solomonson, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Locust, IA

I never met Lois, but I’ve been told that she was very pretty and always dressed to a T. As a youngster, she was advanced for her age, and began school early. Lois loved being with friends and had a great sense of humor. She was popular and gifted: Lois played the piano, painted, and sculpted. She danced and read a lot of books.

Lois was born and grew up nearby. She was baptized by Pastor Carl Losen as an infant, and confirmed by Pastor Running in 1951 at St. John’s Church just up the road. Through the Holy Spirit, Lois knew God’s grace and forgiveness. She grew up seeing the beauty of God’s creation spread wide over this area.

Lois learned of Christ’s death and resurrection and said ‘yes’ to God’s promise to keep her in the family forever.

Even though Lois was happy in her childhood and youth, living as an adult proved difficult, Living with an illness that was not visible on the outside, or to the untrained eye, had to be awful for Lois, and was not at all easy for those who lived with her. We don’t know why illness strikes the young – or the old. One thing we know is – we don’t like it. We don’t like to be sick, and we don’t like it when our loved ones are sick. We pray that God would make us or our loved ones better – and do it now.

However, as in the story of Jesus and his good friend Lazarus, healing doesn’t always happen ‘right now.’ Like Martha and Mary, we might say, “Lord, if you had been here, Lois wouldn’t have been sick all those years.” All those years. It is so sad that Lois’ life seems so wasted. It is a tragedy. Even so, Lois’ life was not without purpose. Lois is survived by 3 children – 3 children and seven grandchildren. Yes, Lois is survived by 3 children – children who have spent their lives hurting and healing and asking God why – Three children whose lives have met the challenges along the way – and survived, and gone beyond that to make their children’s lives and the lives of those in their communities better because of the challenges they have faced. Yes, Lois is survived by three children who are here today to say ‘good-bye.’

What a journey you have come on today – a long drive to say, “good-bye.” What a journey you have had in your lives – a thorny and complicated trek through a perilous land and challenging – maybe even at times unmanageable – relationships with Lois. Each of you has found your own way. I pray that God has been with you on your journeys – that you’ve been able to ask God the difficult questions – like those who asked in the gospel lesson, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” I hope you’ve dared ask, ‘Jesus, you opened the eyes of the blind, you raised your friend Lazarus from the dead, why weren’t you there when I needed you?’ ‘Oh, Jesus, why weren’t you there to make Lois better? Why didn’t you heal her of her illness?’ Today, Jesus says, “Unbind Lois, and let her go.” Let her go in peace, to live joyfully in Heaven. Let her live in wholeness and happiness eternally. And again, hear Jesus say, “Unbind this family, and let them go.” Let this family feel your forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Let this family feel your love and presence with them now, and forever. Oh, God, make peace with this family and within this family, so that their days and their lives might be filled with acceptance and gratitude for all the goodness you grant to your people. Fill them with faith and hope in your cross and resurrection. Amen.

We lay her to rest today, in a place not so far away
The family that went before her is awaiting her stay
We lost her a long time ago, not fully understanding why
We watched her melt away from us, in front of our eyes
Could we have done things differently
Could we have done more
How can we answer that, we have never been confronted with this before
We cannot get those years back, which makes us sad,
all we can do is continue to support each other and be glad
When we leave here our hearts will be heavy
But we know that our family bond will stay steady
It is peaceful here, can you hear the wind blow
Is that the noise of a tractor, well I suppose so
This is where our family started, this is what we know
Rest In Peace Lois, Welcome Home

XOXO Lori Tekippe

Submitted by John Matter

Locust cemetery
 

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