Lois Stump

Lois Stump was born on October 7, 1926, to Viola (Henkel) and Homer Olsen in Omaha Nebraska. After losing her mother at a young age, Lois went to live with her beloved grandparents on a farm in western Iowa, while her father continued working in Omaha. Lois’ stories of farm life (particularly tales involving the ongoing feud between her grandmother and a neighbor’s goose) often resulted in tears of laughter from her audience. When her father married Eva Noland, the family moved to Adair, Iowa, where Lois attended high school. She met and married Dean Stump in 1948. They were married for 67 years. Dean died in 2015. In 1954, Lois and Dean’s son Gary was born, after which they moved to Altoona, where Lois resided for over 67 years.

Lois was active in her church and community. She organized the funeral luncheon program at the Methodist Church for several years. Her exceptional cooking and baking skills were on full display at these luncheons. She also volunteered at the Caring Hands Food Pantry in her later years. At her 80th birthday party, which attracted hundreds of well-wishers, she asked attendees to bring food donations for the pantry. Over three tons of food was donated that day. For over fifty years, Lois was active in PEO and Eastern Star. She rose to Worthy Matron in Eastern Star and served as a Grand Representative to Wyoming. Lois was designated Altoona’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 1999 in recognition of her numerous contributions to the community.

Lois was blessed with a loving sister (Alyce Hassay), a devoted son Gary (Lisa), three grandchildren, Brian (Cassie), Carl (Kayla) and Caroline, and four great-grandchildren, Ben (9), Lauren (9), Brooklyn (5) and Mason (2). Because Gary stayed close to home, Lois was able to enjoy watching her three grandchildren grow up. She attended their sporting and music events, fed them delicious meals (particularly at Thanksgiving), indulged them with Christmas cookies, and instilled in them the importance of extended family, with four different family reunions attended each year.

Lois’ sense of humor, easy laugh and generous spirit attracted numerous friends, many of which preceded her in death. Her final years were spent at Prairie Vista Village where she received excellent care. Although she experienced several challenges in the last few years of her life, she would be the first to acknowledge she had a blessed life with an unwavering faith in God, a loving husband for 67 years, a devoted family, joy-filled times with friends and the drive, intelligence, and sensitivities to make her part of this world a better place.

Services will be held at Altoona United Methodist Church, 602 5th Ave. SW in Altoona, IA. Burial will be at the Stump Cemetery in Van Meter, IA. Family will greet friends from 9:00 am to 11:00 am on Monday, December 13, 2021, at Altoona United Methodist Church. Funeral services will follow at 11:00 am at the church. After which, a light lunch will be served, followed by the internment outside Van Meter.

The family expresses sincere thanks to the dedicated staff at Prairie Vista Village who took excellent care of Lois for the last six years. Memorial contributions may be directed to Altoona United Methodist Church or to the Caring Hands Food Pantry in Altoona. Condolences may be expressed online at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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