Lola L. Halsband

Lola Luella Halsband, 94, Des Moines passed away Saturday April 4, 2026. Visitation will be on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at McLaren’s Chapel from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. with funeral service at 11:30 a.m. Please join the family to share stories and probably some shenanigans in honor of the amazing woman who would probably be watching from above wondering what’s wrong with us all! In lieu of flowers donations may be directed to a Breast Cancer Research Foundation of your choice.

Lola Luella Halsband was born to John and Luella Lass on April 21, 1931, on a small farm outside Ogden, IA. As the second oldest of her siblings (Helen, Pauline, Virgil, and Caroline) and having lost her mother 5 months after the birth of her youngest sister, she started early, helping take care of those she loves which would be a running theme for the rest of her life. She graduated from Ogden High School in the class of 1949 and went on to graduate from Iowa Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing in 1952 where she went on to work on the polio floors. On September 13th of 1951 she met the man that she would become engaged to 13 days later and on a Friday the 13th in June of 1952, Lola would marry Benjamin Halsband. Shortly after marriage she would leave the professional world of nursing to become a full-time homemaker. In late 1954 they would welcome the first of four children (John, Lois, Lynn, and Lora). While she had given up her nursing career, she would still work as a teaching assistant and serve school lunch in the kitchen at the same school her children attended. Lola also taught Sunday school at First Lutheran Church in Des Moines, IA. Sometime in the 1980’s (we think) Lola would open TLC Ceramics and while Ben was her main support in the shop, her children and grandchildren would also help throughout the years. In 2003, shortly after the death of her beloved husband, Lola would close the shop.

Lola has left behind a legacy of being feisty and temperamental at times but also one of deep love and care. She could be mischievous, like the day she met Ben when she threw rocks at a cement truck that he was cleaning. You could hear the love in her voice when she’d talk about Ben bringing her flowers or small gifts on any Friday the 13th, even if it wasn’t their anniversary. 13 wasn’t an unlucky number for Lola and it is a number that has come up many times in her life from how quickly she was engaged to the day she married and can even be found in the homes they had and areas they lived. In 1976 she became a grandmother for the first time, and she embraced that role as the number would climb to 14 in 1992. In 1994 she would welcome the first great grandchild, and the total would be 31 in 2018. In 2018 she welcomed the first great great grandchild and would have 3 by the time we said goodbye to the amazing matriarch of our line. She always showed pride in all her children and those of us that came after. She’d celebrate our accomplishments as her own, cheer us on when we needed it, clean scraped knees, dry tears, and always greet us with open arms and a much-needed hug. Yet, if we started acting out of line, she wouldn’t hesitate to threaten us with a knuckle sandwich or just shake her head and ask what was wrong with us. You always heard the love in her voice and could see the smile on her face.

Lola enjoyed many hobbies and would share them with many of the family such as her favorite western author Louis L’Amour. She shared a love of NASCAR and hockey with several of the grandchildren. For many years race weekends were sacred, and you could find yourself threatened if you interrupted. She’d always try to invite visitors to hockey games, even if they’d given the sport a chance and weren’t a fan. She just wanted to spend time with those she loved, even if that meant sitting with her and just talking for hours, which is probably the trait she was most known for. Many in this world didn’t know Lola by her name, she was simply Mom or Grandma and would often be asked later by people she’d met what her name was as she was simply Mom or Grandma depending on the generation you came from. Her family was huge, and not just blood, and she took great pride in that.

Lola is preceded in death by her sisters, Helen and Pauline; her husband, Benjamin; her daughter, Lynn; and granddaughter, Johnna.