Mary “Lois” Crouch Withers passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 27, 2023. She was born October 17, 1925 in Alexander County, the daughter of the late William Edgar “Ed” Crouch and Kessie Parsons Crouch. She graduated from Taylorsville High school and Bowling Green Business University (Bowling Green, KY) with an AB in Commerce. She married the late Joe Hunter Withers in 1950 and they eventually came to Gastonia and raised their family.
Lois was an active member of First Baptist Church of Gastonia for over 65 years. Her love of babies led her to keep the nursery on Sunday mornings for over 25 years. She also enjoyed gardening (especially her collection of day lilies), basket making (she was an award-winning basket maker and often led classes to teach others her craft), and baking for a crowd (she was well known for her cake squares, cheese straws and sour dough bread, which she would share with all her friends). She loved to make Christmas Stars, Thanksgiving pinecone turkeys and other crafts for her friends at Morningside. She was also an accomplished bridge player and loved puzzles.
In addition to her parents and husband, Lois was predeceased by two brothers P T Crouch and Elbert Crouch: three sisters Royster C Verble, Irene C Moody, Pauline Pennell.
She is survived by two daughters, Judy Marston (Reverend Don) of Collierville, TN and Myra Zweier (Bob) of Charlotte; sister Eloise C Condor (Jerry) of Mooresville; grandchildren Reverend Matt Marston (Elizabeth) of Athens, GA, Kimberly Marston Kirby of Memphis, TN, Billy Zweier (Rebecca) of Charlotte, Ashley Z McKay (Hamish) of Invercargill, New Zealand, and Katie Z Hammock (Knight) of Richmond, VA; great grandchildren Isaac Marston, Lena Marston, Wit Zweier, Jack Zweier, and Frances Hammock. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
The family would like to recognize the outstanding care Lois received from the loving staff at Morningside. During her six years at Morningside, Lois became very close to the staff and was proud to call Morningside home. The family is also appreciative of the services that Hospice provided during the past month.
A service to celebrate Lois’ life will be held at 11 am Saturday, January 6 at Carothers Funeral Home, 2205 Williamsburg Dr, Gastonia, NC 28054 with Reverend Matt Marston officiating. A reception will immediately follow the service.
The family requests in lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Lois be sent to First Baptist Church, 2650 Union Road, Gastonia, NC 28054.
Fond memories and expressions may be offered online at www.carothersfuneralhomegastonia.com.
