Lois came to Upper Lake as a bride in 1948 and passed on March 21, 2023 from

the natural cause of living until just 14 days before her 96th birthday. Nearly

her entire family was by her side singing her into heaven with her favorite

hymns. The second of ten children born to Fount and Ora Salisbury, she

was born April 4, 1927 in Ukiah. She was proud of living into her 90s but

sadly out-lived all of her beloved siblings and most of her friends.

Lois enjoyed a “Walton-esque” childhood living in Mendocino County

with her many brothers and sisters. Although the Salisbury family was very

poor, she held many happy memories of her upbringing. She said she

loved watching the television show “The Waltons” because it reminded her

of her own childhood.

She completed her schooling at the Ukiah elementary and high schools

and attended business college in Santa Rosa. (She was very proud that

she read all of the books at the Ukiah city library, then located on School

Street, during her school years.) She met Alex at a Grange dance in Ukiah

and they danced at Grange dances frequently before and after their

marriage in 1948 and as they began to raise their three children.

Lois was the wife of Alex Suchan for 74 years and they still held hands

up until a week before her death. She was mother to three children, Ruth

(Michael) Hunter, Mary (Mel) O’Meara, and Stanley (Peggy) Suchan, and

said she had wanted more. One of her favorite things was to be the

grandmother to Leah (Marcus) Everson, Matthew (Zorah) Everson, Melinda

and Michael Hunter, Justin (Sabra) Suchan, Alexander (Erica) O’Meara,

Ryan (Aleisha) O’Meara, Timothy (Alice) O’Meara, and Andrew (Kelsi)

O’Meara. The family circle continued to widen to include great-

grandchildren, Chelsea (Sean) Foley, Sadari Scott, Ella and Zinnia Everson,

Calvin, Iris and Nora O’Meara, and Everly and Brecken O’Meara and great-

great-grandchildren Kenzie, Kylee and Chase Foley completed the circle.

(We will always be your fweetie-hearts and polywogs.)

A great source of pride to Lois was that she helped raise the grandkids.

She clearly remembered singing the hymn “God Will Take Care of You” to

all of them as she held them in her arms over the years. Among other

things they learned to bake at her side. Andrew has gone on to create

culinary dishes for a living, crediting his grandmother for being an

inspiration.

Lois worked side by side with her husband as he transitioned from

working with dairy cattle and at lumber mills to walnut ranching and then

establishing their walnut nursery. She much preferred working outside to

housework, although she did enjoy creating meals fresh from her garden, from the canned fruits that she and her sister, Leta, had put up during

the summers, and using deer meat or home-grown pork from the freezer. She

read voraciously when she had a break from the hard work outside.

She worked outside the home also. For a time, she did house-keeping

for seniors in the community. She took the most pride in her job maintaining

the yard at her beloved church for 30 years, the Upper Lake Community

United Methodist Church. She loved her roses, holly hocks and irises.

She was a long-time member of the Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS)

group that met at the church on Tuesday evenings and made many friends

there. She was proud to be the weight recorder for many years.

She sang in and directed the church choir and taught Sunday School

when her children were young. She donated some of the stained glass for

the church windows in honor of her parents and brothers and sisters. She

enjoyed being a 4-H cooking teacher when her children were involved and

a counselor at several Methodist Church youth camps. She sang duets for

the church and many weddings and funerals of community members.

She was beloved.

Goodnight Lois. Goodnight Mom. Goodnight Grandma. Goodnight Great-

Grandma. Goodnight Great-Great Grandma.

Memorial Service will be held Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023 at

1:30 pm at the Upper Lake Community United Methodist Church.

Donations in her memory can be made to the Upper Lake Community Methodist Church, P.O. Box 276, Upper Lake, CA 95485

The family wishes to thank Hospice for their care and Chapel of the

Lakes Mortuary for their service.