Lois Darlene Humphries

Lois was born in Auburn, California. She was a lifelong resident, and the majority of it was spent in Southern California. She was proud of her Finnish heritage; she understood the language fluently and spoke Finnish if the opportunity arose.

Her childhood was spent in Lomita, and she graduated from Narbonne High School. She continued her education at Los Angeles Trade Technical College and became an exceptional seamstress.

Lois is survived by her sister, Joan Reagan and four children: Michael Jones, Lewis Humphries, Karen (Humphries) Prince, and Lisa Humphries. She is also survived by her eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Lois married twice, first to J. Hayden Jones in 1950, then to Lewis Lee Humphries in 1961. While married, she was a stay-at-home mom and then was subsequently employed at the Long Beach Unified School District where she spent several years.

Lois and her family enjoyed hosting Thanksgiving every year with aunts, uncles, and cousins, but she most enjoyed going with everyone to Joan's house every year for Christmas Eve.

One of her favorite vacation places was Hauli Huvila, a Finnish campground on the King's River in Reedley, CA. The family would float down the river on giant inner-tubes and enjoy Finnish entertainment and festivities.

Lois learned ballet at a young age and continued to practice this skill until about 30 years old. She thoroughly enjoyed watching musicals both live and on screen.

In her later years, the activity that brought Lois the greatest joy was volunteering for Downey Civic Light Opera as a seamstress and costumer. She had a talent for sewing and was proud that she was able to solve costume problems quickly, and they were often solved during performances while the actors were in between scenes. She enjoyed talking and laughing with the performers and when telling people about working there, she would say, "I keep the actors in stitches."

At home, if Lois wasn't talking on the phone to family or friends, she was crocheting afghans that she gave away to anyone who wanted one. She also spent her time playing Tetris on her Gameboy and doing word-search games.

Lois spent her last months in Northern California at an assisted living home where she met new friends, played bingo, bowled, and re-discovered how much she enjoyed working on puzzles.

She always had a curiosity and fascination with nature and her favorite song was What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.