Lois K. Santoro

October 14, 1928 – October 25, 2019

Glendora, California

Lois Santoro, age 91, of Glendora, California, went to her final rest early Friday morning, October 25, 2019, at her daughter’s home surrounded by her family. She had just said a final goodbye to her husband, Joe Santoro, of 69 years, only nineteen days prior to her passing.

Lois was born in Nutley, New Jersey, the fifth of six children. She grew up in a loving home, always filled with the sound of laughter and good cheer. She was an excellent student through out her school career. She played softball at Nutley High School, receiving a sports letter, and later, played on the Co-ed team for the Fireman’s Insurance Company in Newark, New Jersey. It was there that she met her adoring husband, Joe Santoro. Lois was a little ahead of her time, by keeping her maiden name of Kessel, as her middle name after marrying.

Art and nature were her passions. Lois was a natural artist. She taught herself how to draw as a young woman, and later, how to oil paint. Her love for nature, birds in particular, was the usual subject of her paintings. She also painted the scenery around Barnegat Pines and Forked River, New Jersey. Her family summered there while she was growing up, and her husband built them a home there after their own children came along. It was the place she always called “home.” In the early 1960s, she became the president of the Lacey Township Women’s Club, designing their logo, winning art competitions, and fostering the pursuit of art. She set up art classes, and organized art exhibitions spotlighting local talent. As her artistic talent grew, so did the interest in her work. She began selling her paintings and taking commissions in the mid-1960s.

Lois moved to California in 1969 when her husband took a job at Xerox Corporation. She enrolled in art classes and crafting classes, adding to her creative repertoire. She expanded her artistic endeavors to include embroidery. In the early 1970s she designed a logo for the Glendora High School Pep Boosters Club, embroidering it on jackets and shirts for the club members and their children. In the late 1980s, she gained a small gallery exhibition of her oil paintings in Glendora, garnering her many new clients.

In keeping with her love for nature, Lois built a large garden with boulders and rocks reclaimed from the mudslide of 1969 as a border. She carried them by hand and wheelbarrow from the yard across the street, placing them in a beautiful design to plant her amazing floral garden. If Lois wasn’t in her kitchen painting or crafting, she was in her garden.

As her daughter’s married and started their own families, Lois busied herself making crafts and painting pictures for the new families. As her grandchildren grew, she taught them how to love and appreciate nature, and how to craft beautiful items from its bounty.

Lois was a friend and confidante to all who knew her. Her easy conversation, wisdom, and true concern for others endeared her to family, friends, and neighbors alike. She always had a mischievous glint in her eye and a smile that lit up the room. Lois loved life, and on her 91st birthday declared, “I’m going to try to make it to 100!” Even though she wasn’t able to do that, Lois squeezed every last drop from life, and shared it with everyone who had the unique pleasure of knowing her.

She was predeceased by her husband of 69 years, Joseph Frank Santoro; her parents May Parker Dougherty Kessel and George R. Kessel. Her sister, Elizabeth Provaznik, her brothers Edward Dougherty, Tom Kessel and George Kessel. She is survived by her children: Lynn Santoro-Harvey and her husband Peter Harvey; Loren Santoro and her husband Craig Bloxham; grandchildren: Adam Santoro-Harvey, Erika Santoro Harvey, Saville Bloxham, and Talia Bloxham; and her sister May Doris Salamone.

Cremation was private and entrusted to Oakdale Memorial Park, 1401 S. Grand Ave., Glendora, Ca.

A celebration of life memorial service will be held on Monday, November 11, 2019 at Oakdale Memorial Park. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the American Heart Association at www.heart.org, in Lois Kessel Santoro’s honor.