Lois Eileen Lerch Baird was born on December 8th, 1925, in Ravenna, Ohio. Her father, Waldo Lerch, was a postman and owned a body repair shop. Her mother Alice Lerch was a homemaker and seamstress.
Lois was the second girl in the Lerch family, and she grew up in Ravenna on the family farm with her sisters Joy and Mayzie and her brother Jim. Lois graduated from Ravenna Township High School in 1943 and as soon as she turned 18, she enrolled in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps, a uniformed corps to school and train nurses during WWII. Lois continued her nursing studies at Akron Peoples Hospital, Cook County Hospital in Chicago, and Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville.
She met her husband, William C. Baird II, at Akron Peoples Hospital, where he was a neurosurgical resident. He promised her if she married him, he would take her to Paris, however the U.S. Army Air Forces had other plans and posted him to Greenland instead. This did not deter Lois and she and "Doc" married on October 9, 1946, eventually settling in Silver Lake. Lois continued her nursing career as an operating room nurse, and for a time as a nurse in Doc's practice.
Lois had her son Bill in 1950 and her daughter Alice in 1957. Doc's career kept him busy, and Lois adapted her nursing skills to running their household and raising their children, especially taking Bill and Alice to swim practice and swim meets. Lois was proud that the Baird household was one where any and all neighborhood children or swim teammates could come and find a friendly face and a full refrigerator.
When Doc died tragically in 1982, Lois lost the love of her life. She never remarried, saying she didn't want any old goats chasing after her. Lois was actively involved in the Akron-Cuyahoga Falls-Silver Lake community volunteering at Akron City Hospital, the Church of Silver Lake, and the Akron Swim Club. She was president of the Summit County Medical Auxiliary and was on the Akron City Hospital Woman's Board. She was proud of volunteering with the polio vaccine drive in Summit County in the early 1960s and being a Transport Volunteer for the American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio volunteer transport team to get patients to their medical care. She was an almost daily visitor at the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium and received a walking stick for completing the metro park hiking spree in Summit County.
Lois was adventurous and loved to travel, counting among her favorite trips a 6 month stay in London for Doc's fellowship when Bill and Alice were young; night scuba diving in the Caribbean Sea; travels throughout Europe with her brother Jim when he was young, and later on to Sweden with Jim and his wife Becky; and travels to Arizona with her young Baird grandchildren to visit Alice and her family.
Lois also loved dogs, blue, walks, visiting and chit-chatting with friends and family, listening to music from her era, her independence, and causing trouble.
Lois moved to Willow Brook Christian Village in Delaware, Ohio in 2007 to be closer to her son Bill. She made many friends in her years there and her family would like to thank the staff at both Willow Brook and the Visiting Angels, especially her caretaker, Mary, for their excellent care over the years, particularly the last few.
Lois is survived by her son William C. Baird III (Lisa) and daughter Alice Dickey (Jeff); Alice's son Brandon Dickey, and Bill's children, Robin Baird (Rip Charlton), Carly Deal (Dave), and Will Baird (Emory), and their children, Lois's great grandchildren: Ripley Charlton; Everett, Carver, and Brooks Deal; Lottie Lois, and Gal Baird; as well as Lisa's daughters Taryn (David) Janotta and Sara Fitch (Nathan Smith).
Lois is also survived by her sister Mayzie Sommers and brother Jim (Becky) Lerch, and several nieces and nephews and their families. Lois was predeceased by her husband, father, mother, sister Joy (Violet (Max) Robinson), stepmother Marguerite Lerch, sister-in-law Helen Glasgow, brother-in-law Bud (Mayzie) Sommers and many friends.
Lois's grandchildren will miss Nana's cinnamon apples, visiting her house, travelling to Arizona with her, causing trouble with her, walking around Silver Lake, teaching them to magically wiggle their noses to open the garage door, her love of dogs, her generosity, and her unconditional love and support in anything and everything they did.
Lois's children and grandchildren and great grandchildren were her great joys in her life. They could always count on Mom/Nana/Queenie to end a conversation with "I love you more". Over the years it even became a bit of a game trying to see if you could beat her to it. 99% of the time she won. Well Nana, don't get upset, but now's our chance to win, “We love you more". Always and forever.
On Saturday, May 6, 2023, at noon, Lois will be laid to rest next to her husband in a graveside service at Maple Grove Cemetery at 6698 N. Chestnut St., Ravenna, Ohio 44266. Lunch to follow at Wood-Kortright-Boroski Funeral Home, 703 E. Main St., Ravenna, Ohio 44266.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wood-kortright-borkoski.com
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