Lois Irene Dunford

She grew up on the family farm near Lucas, Kansas, back then known as the township of Pleasanton, Kansas with her sister, Ruth and her brother, Erwin. She attended nursing school in Salina, Kansas before marrying Robert Henry. They had four children together: Bill and Jim (born in Kansas) and Mike and Steve (born in Colorado). After they divorced, Lois married John Dunford and together they raised the four boys in Boulder, Colorado.

Lois was a popular and beloved waitress for over 20 years at Fred's Steakhouse (Hotel Boulderado) which changed to Fred's Restaurant when they moved to Pearl Street. When she quit to move to Spirit Lake, Idaho, Fred's had a big party for her that was reported in the Boulder Daily Camera. After a number of years, she and John moved back to Colorado and settled in Loveland, where they spent their next 30 years together. In Loveland, Lois and John made a living wheeling and dealing in flea markets and Lois was, again, a popular and beloved waitress at Adelita's Mexican Restaurant continuing her waitressing career until she was 82 - it seems that was her calling!

At their house in Loveland, the “Rec Room” was a trove of trinkets found at the Flea Market. The grandkids could always find something unique to play with in that room! Lois’ Christmas gifts to the kids and grandkids were epic boxes and bags filled with everything from toothpaste to decks of cards and all kinds of flea market treasures! Everything was individually wrapped, and when you opened them, some were wrapped again with $1, $2, and $5 dollar bills! The hunt for the money was always a blast! Lois had a tablecloth that dated back to at least 1969. Everyone who sat at the Dunford table on Christmas signed the tablecloth in pencil and then later, Lois would painstakingly embroider their names and messages – some of those messages were like novels, as Lois laughingly complained.

If all four of her boys were home for Thanksgiving, the tablecloth was brought out for signatures. Otherwise, it was only for Christmas. Thanksgiving messages were embroidered in orange and brown; Christmas messages were in red and green. And DON’T sign inside the center ‘Merry Christmas’ design!!

Lois most always had a positive attitude. When anyone asked how she was doing, she would famously say, “I can’t complain. Because if I did, nobody would listen, anyway!”

In her later years, she resided at Boulder Manor Care. Her sons visited often, took her on outings, home for holidays, had pizza parties on the lawn and took her on wheelchair rides around the neighborhood. Everyone who cared for her at Boulder Manor loved Lois and had nothing but nice things to say about her - they loved her sense of humor and appreciated her good nature.

Lois passed away peacefully on Christmas morning, 2023. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and brother, Erwin Heine. She is survived by her sister, Ruth Feil of Marquette, KS and sons Bill (Holly) Henry of Erie, CO, Jim (Jo) Henry of Salina, KS, Mike Henry of Durango, CO and Steve (Cindy) Henry of Boulder, CO as well as seven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Lois Irene Dunford will be missed by all those who knew and loved her.