Lois Fay Harrison

HARRISON PORSCH FOSTER DENHAM

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 8/26/2010 at 22:03:36

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Lois Harrison
By Lois H Denham

Lois Fay Harrison, only child of Benjamin Harrison, January 22, 11901-August 1974, and Clara J Porsch, April 8, 1897-September 18, 1971, entered this world, Auust 15, 1921, in a small house on the Harrison farm in Banner Township, Woodbury County. She received most of her education in the schools of Woodbury County and she lived most of her life in the County.

The family lived in the small farm house on the family farm until 1929 when they bought a farm one mile south and moved there.

Lois attended three rural schools in Banner Township (Banner No. 3, No. 5, and No. 6). She graduated from Lawton High School in 1939. Upon graduation from High School she attended summer school at Buena Vista College, Storm Lake, Iowa; Western Union, now Westmar, College, LeMars; and Morningside College, Sioux City. She graduated from the two-year teacher program at Westmar College the spring of 1955 and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the same school in 1959. She majored in Elementary Education and minored in Art. She has a few hours of graduate credit in Art form a college at Gunnison, Colorado.

Lois began her teaching career at Banner Township No. 5, teaching three years in a school she had attended as a child. When school closed for lack of children in the neighborhood, Lois taught Kindergarten at Bronson Consolidated School for one year; then next she taught a rural school in Lincoln Township, Plymouth County, and returned to Banner Township to teach her home school, Banner No. 6.

While she was teaching at Bronson, she met Douglas Depue Foster, January 22, 1915-September 1952, whom she married October 28, 1944, in Sioux City. Lois continued teaching and lived in her parents home during the week. She spent weekends at the Foster family home south of Moville, where she and Douglas lived with Doug’s mother, Nettie Depue Foster and his sister Florence unil they were able to build their own home across the road.

One child was born to them. On December 4, 1946, Virginia Fay, a tiny three-pound baby, seventeen and a half inches long was delivered at seven months. Lois was toxic and had spent several weeks in the hospital, contined to bed, prior to delivery.

Lois came home to the new home, just before Christmas, leaving Virginia in the hospital until mid-February, when she finally came home weighing just over six pounds. The next years were normal years of farming and enjoying the good country life. Virginia grew and developed normally, a typical little girl. Douglas played baseball. Lois helped with 4H and the future looked bright.

Tragedy struck the family September 1952 when Douglas died of Spinal Bulbar Polio after a few days in the iron lung at a Sioux City Hospital. In December, Lois and Virginia moved back to the home of Lois’ parents.

February 1953 – Lois enrolled at Westmar College to complete the two-year teaching program, while Virginia lived with Grandpa and Grandma Harrison and attended school.

Spring 1955 – Lois left college life behind and prepared to establish a home for herself and Virginia. She rented an apartment at Kingsley, Iowa, wehre they lived for two years while Lois taught fourth grade at the Kingsley Public School.

Fall 1957 – Lois began teaching in the Sioux City Community Schools (four years at McKinley Elementary and seventeen years at Washington Elementary). She taught first grade most of that time.

While teaching at Kingsley, Lois met Raymond ‘Ray’ Denham of Battle Creek, Iowa, whom she married June 12, 1965 at Sioux City, Iowa. Lois and Ray bought their present home at 2909 Dodge Avenue, Sioux City, Iowa, April 1970. Before that Lois and Virginia lived in an apartment at 605 South Linn until Virginia graduated in 1965. Ray and Lois kept the apartment and Lois lived there and continued teaching. Ray kept his home in Battle Creek and Lois traveled back and forth on weekends. She spent holidays and vacations at Battle Creek, also, until the home in Sioux City was purchased.

At the death of her father in 1974, Lois inherited the farm she had grown up on. Spring 1977 – Lois quit teaching to enjoy a more relaxed way of life.

Lois was a membr of Rustin Avenue United Methodist Church for twenty-five years. She left there in the spring of 1981 and she is now a member of Morningside Baptitst Church.

Lois is making the most of retirement, enjoying being able to pick and choose the activities she enjoys most. She is involved in Bible Study and Prayer groups, reads her Bible daily and devotes at least one hour a day (five days a week) to concentrated Intercessory Prayer. She and Ray are regular in church attendance and other church activities. Lois paints, enjoys crafts, good music and good books. Family and grandchildren are very special.

There are two grandchildren: Donita Fay McGregor, born July 17, 1976 and Douglas Robert McGregor, born April 2, 1980, children of daughter, Virginia Fay and Donald Robert McGregor who were married June 23, 1973.

Lois and Ray have traveled throughout the United States and Canada. In 1980, Lois went to Europe and Israel and to Israel again in 1982 to attend the Christian Feast of Tabernacles Celebration.