Lois Luella Schlabach

Lois Luella (Miller) Schlabach of Sarasota, Florida, passed from this side of heaven to the other on Tuesday, January 17, 2017. She was 94 years old. She had lived with cancer for the past several years. She was taken to Tidewell Hospice House on Friday where she lived out her final four days of life. Lois was born on March 3, 1922 in Manson, Iowa to Ira and Matilda (Weideman) Miller. She was the third of seven children. She attended Goshen College for one year, then returned to her Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania home. On August 30, 1945, she married David Glenn Schlabach at Sunnyside Mennonite Church in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania. Over the years, the couple lived in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania; Cumberland, Maryland; Scottdale, Pennsylvania; Wauseon, Ohio; and Sarasota, Florida. During their years in Wauseon, Lois, together with her co-worker, turned one portion of an aisle at Waldeck’s Five and Dime Store into an entire fabric department at the back of the store. She was known as a friendly and cheerful clerk who could give excellent sewing assistance to the shoppers in their department at the store. Lois was a faithful member of the local Mennonite Church wherever she lived. She volunteered in church libraries, taught vacation Bible school and was active in the women’s sewing circles. Together with her husband, once a quarter for twenty years, she volunteered at Maumee Youth Camp on Sunday mornings, assisting with Sunday school and worship opportunities for the youth. Lois was known for her excellent cooking, sewing, and knitting skills. She enjoyed people and quickly made friends wherever they lived. Lois is survived by her husband, David, daughter-in-law Jean (Baker) Schlabach of Oregon, Ohio; son Joseph Daniel and his wife Carol (Schurr) Schlabach of Fort Wayne, Indiana; daughter Donna Louise and her husband Conrad (Mast) of Goshen, Indiana; and daughter Beth Ann Schlabach of Sarasota, Florida. She has five grandchildren, and five great grandsons. She has two living siblings, sister Doris Kramer of St. Jacobs, Ontario, Canada; and brother James Miller of Albany Oregon; three sister-in-laws and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by a son, David Michael; a sister, Mariette Stamper; three brothers; Paul Miller, John Miller, and Charles Miller, two brothers-in-law and one sister-in-law. Arrangements are being made through Wiegand Brothers Funeral Home of Sarasota. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2017 beginning at 2:00 p.m. at First Brethren Church, 150 N. Shade Ave., Sarasota, Florida. Online condolences can be made at www.wiegandbrothers.com.