Alice "Lois" (Somers) Kahre

Lois was born on March 4, 1928 on a farm outside Stewartsville in Posey County, Indiana. She passed away on March 1, 2021 in Evansville, Indiana with family and her Pastor at her side. Her parents were Walter “Pearl” and Bertha “Bert” Somers. Yes, her mother was Bert and her father, was Pearl.

Lois moved from Posey County with her family to Evansville during the Great Depression and lived across the street from and attended Howard Roosa Grade School during the 1937 flood. The family moved before World War II to Darmstadt, Indiana where they eventually settled on a small farm. Lois’s parents Bert and Pearl served in industry during World War II. Bert was a wartime welder, while raising their children, Lois and three boys. Lois attended Scott Grade School and graduated from Reitz High School in 1946.

Lois married Bernhardt “Bernie” Kahre after he returned from service with the Marines in World War II. Bernie, one of the seven Kahre boys, best known for baseball in their youth and for tool and die work in their adult careers. As well, Lois gained two Kahre girls as sisters-in-law. The wedding was held at Trinity Lutheran Church-Darmstadt on November 21, 1948. They spent their married life living on Darmstadt Road on an acre of the Kahre farm where Bernie was born and raised.

Lois started her working career at Briggs Corporation as a secretary after High School and continued clerical work most of her adult life until retirement age. She took some time off her career to raise her two young sons. Lois then returned to work at the Evansville School Corporation, Chayes Virginia Corporation, Korte Brothers Equipment, Engineered Plastics and the Evansville ARC.

During her married life and working years, Lois prepared daily meals for her family often including her widowed father-in-law, Ben “Dad” Kahre during his later life when he would walk down from the home farm house for supper. She made pies and cobblers, canned fruits and vegetables, made jellies, jams and apple sauce with her sisters-in-law, who were neighbors. All with the help of their and Ben, “Dad” Kahre’s gardens and only with the occasional mishap; like the time Lois removed the lid of a pressure cooker before releasing the steam, the explosion propelling meat balls and tomato paste all over the ceiling.

Lois and her family were members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Darmstadt where the family attended weekly and where her two boys attended grade school.

Lois sewed, she enjoyed art, painting landscapes, refinishing antique furniture and she and Bernie enjoyed the Philharmonic which they had season tickets to for many years. As well, they enjoyed high school and Civic Theater and trips to Dinner theaters. She enjoyed swimming which she did frequently well into her later life often at the YWCA basement pool in downtown Evansville. She once attempted water skiing behind her son, Steve’s first boat on Kahre Lake without much success. She also enjoyed occasional fishing at the lake, with her mother Bert at the Somers’ farm pond and down at the Wabash River bayou camps. Lois and Bernie adored their two outdoor dogs, Skeeter and then Sandy and tolerated a house cat named Nip.

Lois and Bernie enjoyed summer vacations, driving the family’s Plymouth to all points of the United States and even Canada. In their retirement years they took numerous trips, at times with friends across America, to Alaska, Hawaii and several trips to Europe.

During one trip through England after retirement, Lois was able to first meet a pen pal she had started corresponding with during World War II. The two young girls, then women with children and grandchildren had kept in regular touch for decades exchanging holiday gifts and letters. They had spoken over the phone numerous times but had never met. Lois and her pen pal, Daphne spoke regularly until Daphne’s death only a few years ago. Seventy years after they first corresponded.

Lois was preceded in death by her husband, Bernie in 2012; three brothers and their wives, Tom Somers, Buddy and Karen Somers, sister-in-law, Mary Somers and Walt and Dell Somers; brothers-in-law, their wives, and a sister-in-law and her husband, Charles and Helen Kahre, Alfred and Mildred Kahre, Alvin and Goldie Kahre, Bernice and Jim Moseby, Bob and Dottie Kahre and Gill and Dottie Kahre. Lois was also preceded in death by her and Bernie’s friend, George Krietemeyer, childhood and lifelong friend’s Daphne Sennitt and the nearest friend Lois ever had to being her sister, Bonnie Crouch and husband, Jack.

She is survived by two sons and their wives, Steve and Karen Kahre and Jeff and Cathy Kahre; one granddaughter, Steve and Karen’s daughter, Kelly and her husband, Zach Martin and two great granddaughters, Lily and Emelia Martin; two sisters-in-law and a brother-in-law, Marilyn Hahne and Jim and Dottie Kahre. Yes, three of the seven Kahre boys each married a Dorothy (Dottie). Additionally, surviving are many nieces and nephews of both the Kahre and Somers families. Also surviving are dear friends Liz, Cousin Marge and two nieces, Suzie and Cindy, who came from out-of-town to visit Lois, always called and sent cards and flowers.

Lois was loving, she was loved and she will be missed.

Funeral service will be 11:00 a.m. on Friday, March 5, 2021, at Trinity Lutheran Church- Darmstadt, officiated by Pastor Stan Temme, with burial to follow at the church cemetery. Friends may visit Thursday from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Alexander North Chapel and Friday from 10:00 a.m. until service time at the church.

Contributions may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church - Darmstadt.

Condolences may be offered at www.AlexanderNorthChapel.com.