Lois Ann Tanner

95 years

Born: June 28, 1930

Passed: February 26, 2026

Lois was born on June 28, 1930, to John and Doris Ward in Adams, Wisconsin. She had three siblings-Ken, Allan, and Dianne. Growing up, she remembered moving often, nine or ten times while she was young. She once said, "None of the houses were very fancy, and they all need a good cleaning, which was a lot of work for Mother." She did remember, though, that in three of those homes she had a room of her own.

Christmas was her favorite holiday as a child. She used to talk about the fruit and candy they received-treats they didn't normally have during the year. One Christmas she received a special Shirley Temple doll from her parents and a big baby doll from her Grandma Zellmer. She said that her mom always made the holiday special and would cook something extra for the family. Lois shared a mischievous childhood memory about a time she disobeyed her parents and went to the railroad yards, where she climbed onto the boxcars and walked along the tops of them.

In 1944, at the age of 14, Lois moved with her family to Stayton, Oregon. She attended and graduated from Stayton High School. After high school, she moved out of the family home and went to live in Salem with her best friend, Virginia Johnson. While living there, she worked for the state in the tax department. It was during this time that she was introduced to Richard Tanner.

Lois and Richard fell in love and were married of November 24, 1950, in Turner, Oregon. Soon after they were married, Richard was drafted into the Army and served two years overseas in Korea. When he returned from the military, they moved to Klamath Falls, where their first child, Kathy, was born. A few years later, the family moved to Lebanon, where their son Mike was born. Not long after that, they settled in Eugene, where Lois would spend the next 60 years of her life.

Lois attended Springfield First Assembly of God with her family and was very involved in the life of the church. She helped cook meals for church events, participated in Women's Ministry, and taught preschool Sunday school. If the church was having an event, Lois was there. She especially enjoyed the times when the whole church would go to the skating rink, where she loves skating to any Waltz tune.

Lois was a homemaker who took great pride in caring for her family. She canned fruits and vegetables from their garden and generously shared them with friends and missionaries. She often sent what she had canned to her good friends Don and Virginia Johnson, who lived and worked on an Indian reservation in Arizona.

One trip to Arizona became one of her favorite stories to tell. While they were there helping build churches, a donkey stuck his head through the window where they were sleeping and let out a loud bray. Lois laughed every time she told that story, and she told it often.

Lois also loved flowers and enjoyed planting them around her home. She was especially fond of the daffodils she planted around her mailbox and always looked forward to seeing them bloom at the beginning of spring.

She was also an amazing baker. There was almost always a loaf of fresh homemade bread in her kitchen, and she frequently baked cookies or apple pie. At Christmas time she made many different kinds of cookies and delivered them to family and close friends, a tradition that everyone looked forward to each year.

In 1986, Lois became a grandmother when her granddaughter Dana was born. She loved spending time with Dana, playing together and teaching her how to bake pies and cookies. Every summer and winter, Dana would stay with her for a week, creating special memories together.

In 2016, Lois moved to Salem to be closer to her daughter. She lived a faithful and godly life and spent time each day doing her devotions at her dining room table, praying for her family. In the last few years of her life, she moved into the assisted living facility at The Springs, where she was lovingly cared for by her daughter, Kathy.

Lois is survived by her brother Allan Ward; her sister, Dianne Duncan; her daughter and son-in-law, Kathy and Doug Riehl; her son, Mike Tanner; and her granddaughter and her husband, Dana and Cory Spink.

Mom, we love you, miss you, and look forward to seeing you again.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Addus Hope Foundation at https://stats.slimcd.com/soft/showsession.asp?sessionid=E75A596CB863F4D59A883E1FC6F081B5C85E23DC.