Lois Ann Hughes, age 88, of Portland, Oregon passed away on Tuesday July 30, 2019. She was born April 26, 1931 in Rockford, Illinois to Annie Keyes Dawson and Presley Dawson as the younger of two children. The family moved to East Aurora, New York and then to California where she attended Glendale High School and graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1949. From there she earned degrees from Long Beach Community College and the University of California, San Francisco where she graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing.
Lois met Lewis Hughes, a medical student, while at UCSF, and they were married on June 20, 1953. They moved to Minneapolis, MN and also spent a year in Eau Claire, WI. She worked as a registered nurse in the men’s ward and as an educator for other nurses in the prenatal field. They welcomed their first born, Jeff, in 1957 and two years to the day later welcomed their second son, Fred (Jim). Upon the completion of Lewis’ residency, they moved to Portland where he accepted a position at Bess Kaiser Hospital. Lois chose to stay home and focus on raising her family, and the family grew with the addition of Jacqui (1960), Jodi (1962), and the baby, Jon (1968). While Lewis was at work one day, she smuggled home Flicka, the family’s beloved dog for many years. A few years later she snuck in Susie, a second family dog, but only because she was afraid no one else would rescue her. Though retired from nursing after starting her family, she was quick to remind everyone that she certainly worked, just not outside the home for pay.
In addition to parenting, she and Lewis were dedicated members of the First United Methodist churches of Beaverton and then Portland. She volunteered at Bess Kaiser Hospital every Tuesday and Friday. She helped in the gift shop, delivered mail, shampooed patients, swapped stories with other volunteers, and most eagerly took pictures of newborn babies. Those stories, the diversity of culture and experience of the people she worked with and served, and, again, the baby pictures kept her coming back for more, and she eventually devoted over 15,000 hours of service to the hospital. When she wasn’t volunteering, she kept busy playing bridge, meeting friends for coffee, and, especially, after tucking the kids in their beds, reading any book that crossed her path. She also devoured newspapers, magazines, and the evening TV news, and she fell asleep listening to talk radio at night, all to keep up with current events. But nothing for her beat watching sitcom TV shows in the evening surrounded by her children, with everyone contributing irreverent comments and laughs to improve each episode.
In fact, it was her sharp wit and irreverence that her children remember and appreciated the most. Example: she and the girls went for beach weekends not for sand and surf but to be together, eat too much, and laugh at life. They went to Seaside during prom weekends to watch, analyze, and comment on the elegant young couples at the Seaside Shilo Restaurant. Given her sharp sense of humor and quick wit, something she bequeathed to all of her children, observations became increasingly absurd and she would laugh so hard that the women occasionally had to make a quick, diplomatic escape. She also set an example for her grandchildren by teaching them how to blow straw wrappers at unsuspecting patrons at restaurants. She was always finding ways to make things work for her…like her purses. Lois was forever on the quest for the perfect bag, acquiring many and making small alterations to better suit her needs. She was devoted to her snacks, especially Diet Coke and Nacho Cheese Doritos, and she had chips delivered to her door in bulk in large packages. She also enjoyed Snickers but realized she needed help to break free of them and tried hypnosis in an attempt to cure her addiction.
Lois would want to be remembered for her dedication to volunteering, her quick-witted intelligence, and her immense pride in her children and family. Memories of many silly conversations and serious debates will live on and bring a smile to the faces of those whose hearts she touched.
Lois is survived by her children Jeff (Lori) Hughes, Fred (Stephanie) Hughes, Jacqui (Bruce) Williams, Jodi (Matt) Kmiecik, and Jon (Sheryl) Hughes; grandchildren Mike Hughes, Katie Zillmer, Rebecca (Andrew) Marcum, Thomas Kmiecik, Jack Williams, William Kmiecik, Ben Hughes, Izzy Kmiecik, Conor Hughes, Ryan Hughes, Emma Hughes, and Annie Hughes; and great grandchildren Nora and Beth Marcum.
Lois was preceded in death by her husband Lewis Hughes; brother David Dawson; daughter-in-law Nancy Hughes; and parents Annie and Presley Dawson.
The family wishes to offer their sincere gratitude to the amazing staff at Regency Park for their compassionate care of Lois.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.skylinememorialgardens.com for the Hughes family.
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