Lois Jean Gardner Millard was born on February 22,1933 in a sod house near Gordon, Nebraska. The youngest of six children, she grew up on a farm and rode horseback to a one room school house in the country. Lois was raised by her father, siblings, and extended family after her mother died when she was only six years old. During her high school years, she moved to a boarding house in Gordon where she and other farm kids would stay to attend school.
When Lois was 19 years old, she moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, where her older brother Lloyd, was stationed while serving in the Navy. Lois went to Del Mar College and trained to be a drafter and subsequently worked for Skelly Oil Company. She met her future husband and love of her life, Robert (Bob) Millard, a petroleum geologist, who worked for Southern Minerals, in the same building. After only three months of dating, they married on December 21, 1956, and were happily married for over 61 years. Bob and Lois welcomed their daughter Lisa on March 14, 1958 and later their son Marshall on March 7, 1962.
Lois continued working as a drafter for several more years before she made the decision to stay home and raise their children full time. She was a wonderful and nurturing mother who was also actively involved in PTA, gardening clubs, and church activities. Bob and Lois attended Grace Presbyterian Church in Corpus Christi for many years.
After her children were grown, she began to develop her natural talents in art and writing, taking courses in those subjects and others at Del Mar College. She won awards for her watercolor and colored pencil art work. Her children cherish all of her artwork, including many oil paintings, which are being preserved and will be enjoyed for generations to come.
In 2001, Lois and Bob moved to Kerrville, Texas, and enjoyed their neighborhood community and church until Bob's passing on April 15, 2018. Lois then moved to San Antonio to be closer to family. She was a very loving and nurturing mother, grandmother/Nana and great grandmother.
Lois was preceded in death by her parents, Henry & Harriet Gardner; husband, Robert Neill Millard; sisters, Bernice Closson, Nadine Havener and brothers, Dale Gardner, Lloyd Gardner & Ben Gardner.
Lois is survived by her daughter, Lisa Millard Bosch (Silverio); son, Marshall Neill Millard (Pamela); grandchildren, Matthew (Christie Moffat) & Eric Bosch (Robyn), Lindsay Hubenak (Bryce), Shannon Potthast (Erich), and David Millard; great grandchildren, Walker & Carter Bosch, Hattie, Susannah and Emmeline Hubenak, and William Potthast, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Special thanks to all the staff at Franklin Park Sonterra Assisted Living in San Antonio. Also, a special thanks to private caregivers Lupe Elizondo and Sherry DeLeon, true treasures.
A visitation will be held on Monday, August 18, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with a funeral service to follow at Porter Loring Mortuary North, located at 2102 North Loop 1604 East, San Antonio, TX 78232.
Interment will immediately follow in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
