Rolla singer plans to entertain at veterans homes throughout Mo.

Having her mother in an assisted living facility shaped the way Lois Ann Marler decided to share her passion for music.

Marler, a native of Rolla, Mo., performs as a variety singer who customizes her act for each event. She will bring her USO-style tribute to veterans to the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau on Thursday as part of a tour of all seven of the state's veterans homes before the end of the year. Marler said the performance will be her first in Southeast Missouri. The show begins at 2 p.m., and friends and family of residents are welcome to attend.

Marler said her performances in nursing homes began when she saw how the eyes of the residents would light up when they heard music. She invested in sound systems and costumes, created a theme, "A Tribute to Love," and took her show on the road to perform for veterans and nursing home residents around Missouri.

Marler said her performance is "like an old pin-up show," and the veterans tribute features songs from the 1930s and later. She said it provides an opportunity to give veterans recognition, and they enjoy it because it takes them back decades.

The singer said she likes to appeal to a broad demographic. She doesn't limit her song choices, even though she said she specializes in older songs. She finds out from nursing facility staff what members of an audience like to hear when she plans her shows.

"I ask the director about the taste of the residents, and in this area they seem to like country," Marler said.

She said she will sing Patsy Cline songs along with the usual crowd favorites, songs like "Side by Side" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy."

"I'll definitely be doing a patriotic tribute," she said. Marler said she likes to make her performances interactive and holds contests in which she gives little American flags to the oldest male and female residents.

eeaston@semissourian.com

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