The family of Lois Johnson sadly announces her passing on January 11, 2022, at Misericordia Health Center following a brief illness.

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Lois is survived by children Lyle and Debbie; grandchildren, James (Jen), Tyler, Christie, Jesse, and Camille (Sean); great grandsons, Keaton (Mother Whitney), Landon, and Parker; sister-in-law Eva Clark; as well as nieces, nephews and friends.  Lois was predeceased by her parents Victor and Rena Clark; brother Cyril; sister Jean; and grandson Ian.

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Lois (Clark) was born in Artland Saskatchewan (pop. 67).  As a little girl she loved spending time outdoors with her faithful companions, her dog Champ and cat Smoky tips. Lois recounted fond memories of times spent playing in the sand hills located behind her family home. She also would reminisce about sharing the activities of tobogganing, and cross-country skiing with her family before returning home to listen to OUR MANS FAMILY on the battery powered radio.

 

During the Royal Tour of Canada in 1939 the train carrying King George Vl and Queen Elizabeth stopped in Artland Saskatchewan to take on water. While in Artland train station Queen Elizabeth was given the honour of receiving flower bouquets from Lois and two of her classmates. After taking on water the engineer hadn’t realized the King and Queen were not on board and left the station.  According to Lois, due to the engineers oversight he was forced to back up the train and retrieve his royal passengers.

 

The Clark family moved to Stratton Ontario in 1942, where Lois met and formed a lifelong bond with her high school friends Anne Wardman and Clarence Shrumm, who later married.  Lois often traveled from Winnipeg to Stratton to visit her friends, on their farm and cottage at Lake of The Woods. She cherished their friendship and companionship whether fishing on the lake, picking berries, flowers, and even hunting Prairie Chickens with their son Daniel. She would travel to Stratton in the winter months to compete with the Shrumm family in curling bonspiels. One year winning first prize… a case of snowmobile oil. Lois was always a country girl at heart, and never said no to an adventure.

 

Lois moved to Winnipeg in 1949 to finish her schooling. She worked as a live-in housekeeper for a River Heights family with small children to earn room and board while completing her studies. Lois married and unfortunately became a single parent with two small children to raise and support.  She returned to school determined to give her children and herself a better life. Throughout her working career Lois continued to enroll in evening courses to improve and upgrade her clerical skills.

 

Lois treasured spending time with her grandchildren and they with her. Lois was the first person in the family to have a personal computer, way back in the early 90’s. Her grandchildren loved to visit because they could take turns using (playing games on) her computer. They benefitted from her computer knowledge and skills. Lois had a sweet tooth and liked to bake. Her grandchildren always looked forward to her visits as she would bring freshly baked cookies and other baked treats for them to enjoy.

 

Lois loved making crafts that included knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, and plastic canvas to name a few. Her hands were never still, she always had something on the go.  Other activities that she also enjoyed included square dancing, round dancing and bowling.  Lois served as a volunteer for many years at Oak Hammock Marsh helping with various tasks. Following retirement, Lois embarked on a new career. That new career was family pet and house sitting. Her love of animals and the companionship they provided was evident as she experienced an increasing demand for her in-home petting sitting services. In her golden years she liked to read and enjoyed many hours of word search, Sudoku, and Solitaire, to keep her mind sharp.

 

Lois was a lifelong member of the Community of Christ Church (RLDS). Her church family filled her life with fellowship and faith. She volunteered as the church treasurer for many years. She especially enjoyed a post Church Service lunch at Smitty’s restaurant with the church friends she socialized with. 

 

Lois resided at Riverside Lions in St Vital for close to 20 years. She volunteered to manage the on-site coffee shop. It provided an inventory of milk, eggs, soft drinks and snack foods available for purchase. Residents would stop by for a coffee, toast and a friendly chat.  Lois appreciated the community environment, and activities that Riverside Lions afforded her. She often expressed her gratitude for being able to live in such a wonderful residence. Lois’s family is grateful to her dedicated and compassionate home care staff that enabled her to live independently in her apartment until her recent illness.

 

In Lois’s twilight years as her health declined, she would occasionally comment “these golden years sure are rusty” or “I would like to see what my brother and sister are doing up in heaven.” To our loving mother, your wish has come true, you are at peace, and finally reunited with your family and friends that you have missed so dearly.   Mom you may be gone, but you will never be forgotten. Your bright light will continue to shine in our precious memories, and with love in our hearts.

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Rest in Peace… until we meet again.  

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The family would like to thank all the staff at Misericordia Health Center, unit 5 Cornish for the care she received there.

 

In accordance with her wishes, cremation has taken place. A Service of Remembrance and Cemetery Committal Service will be held at a later date. In the meantime, the family kindly requests that all of her friends and relatives take a few minutes to honour her memory by watching the photo-biography above. Please, also consider sharing your own photos, memories, and stories by making use of the comment section on this page.

 

In lieu of flowers, a donation in Lois’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, or any organization of your choice supporting people living with dementia.