Lois Woodford

Lois Leming Woodford died Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019, at her home, with her daughters and sons-in-law by her side.

She was born Dec. 1, 1932, in Cape Girardeau to Thelma Coleman and Merit Elmer "Em" Leming Jr. On that day, she was entered into the "Cradle Roll" of her lifelong church, Centenary Methodist in Cape Girardeau.

She grew up in Cape Girardeau and lived there nearly her entire life. She was gregarious, funny and loving and loved to have fun and ensure everyone else did, too.

Lois and her two brothers and sister -- "Ruth Gene, Buddy, Lois and Paul" as they are referred to -- lived first at the corner of Boulevard and Whitener before moving to 740 North St., "The House," when Lois was 13 years old. Em had bought the big house on North Street as a birthday present for his wife. From that time on, and certainly before, the family spent time entertaining, having parties and, of course, going to church at Centenary.

She attended Franklin School and graduated from Louis J. Schultz High School. During her high school years, she spent tons of time with her close friends who named themselves "The Sacred Eight and a Half." She was a cheerleader and loved to dance and spend time with her friends and family.

Lois and Luise Montgomery Scarlett met when they were 5 and 6 years old, respectively. They were best friends for 80 years and got together frequently with the Sacred Eight and a Half and other friends. Luise passed away Jan. 28, 2018. Lois' words to Luise at her celebration of life per Skype were "I love you Luise and am so happy for you now. I will miss you and wonder who will tell me what to do when I have a decision to make."

While cheering for the Cape Central Tigers at Houck Field House during the College High Christmas Tournament, she met Charlie Weber who she later married. Lois told her children Charlie was lying across a Coke cooler in his Southeast Missouri State College letter jacket selling sodas as part of the football team duties and he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. They married Nov. 29, 1952, in Lawton, Oklahoma, where Charlie was stationed in the Army. Lois and Charlie had two daughters, Kathy (David) Bertrand and Jan (Dave) Rigdon, both of Cape Girardeau.

She attended Southeast Missouri State College where she was chosen football homecoming queen. Her lifelong mission and dream was to be a wife and mother, and she fulfilled those dreams in a special way, bringing fun, chocolate pie and fudge to all she met. Lois often said some of her happiest days were spent at 1635 Luce St. in Cape when "the girls" were growing up with their friends at the house swimming, playing penny poker, eating chocolate and drinking Tab.

Lois was a wife, mother and homemaker for most of her life, again doing what she did best -- caring for others and bringing the funk to the party. She worked as a secretary at Jefferson Elementary School for several years once the girls were in grade school for one of her mother's best friends, Lyda Gibbs, the first female principal in Cape.

During the late 1960s and 1970, Lois worked at the Jaycee Golf Course, which was leased to Charlie and Lois "running the clubhouse." She loved visiting with the golfers and getting to know all of their stories but was not a fan of getting up too early!

In 1972, the "Lay Witness Mission" was brought to Centenary Church. Lois and other special women founded a prayer group, known to her girls as "the prayer group." These faithful women prayed together every Wednesday morning for 42 years and made a difference in the lives of many.

In 1978, Lois married Charles "Woody" Emory Woodford, known as "the Colonel." Lois met Woody at Parents Without Partners. They were married at Centenary, of course, on the first birthday of their first grandchild, Arkadia Delay Boos.

Lois and Woody had a wonderful married life for 28 years, until his death in 2007. They did everything together, from volunteering for the American Legion, working together to bring the Moving Vietnam Wall to Cape and petitioning the State of Missouri to recognize the mule as the state animal. Woody always said it was not his effort causing the approval of the mule but the fact "Lois sang 'My Sweetheart's a Mule in the Mine'" over the microphone to the legislators in Jefferson City.

Over the course of her lifetime, she was known as a true prayer warrior and great dancer and her great batches of fudge which were often eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Lois and Charles' marriage brought together her two daughters and Woody's five children, Paul "My Son Paul" (Donna) Woodford, Susan Ginther, Mary (Dennis) Honrud of Montana, Cecelia (John) Boos of Cape Girardeau and Charlene "Charles Bear" (Larry) Biester of Jackson. Together they have 21 grandchildren, Gregory (Beth) Woodford, Polly Woodford, Cindy Higgerson, Michele (Matthew) Koch, Gwendolyn Honrud, Kimberly (Matt) Schribner, Dawn (Sean) Cook, Arkadia (Josh) Olson, Jacqueline (David) Weidenbenner, Steven Boos, Raymond Boos, Justin (Jessica) Biester, Lana Koeppel, Laura (Bret) McDowell, Joshua (Kyla) Biester, Adam Bertrand, Benjamin (Tara Allee) Bertrand, Jennifer Goncher, Megan Goncher, Emily (Esteban) Rodriguez and Elizabeth (Kelly) LeNeave; and multiple great-grandchildren. Lois "Granny" and Woody "Grampa"/"Grampa Woody" enriched the lives of their grandchildren with flashlight tag in the big backyard, Chinese checkers, catching fireflies, barbecues, dinners, American Legion Christmas parties and more.

She was preceded in death by her parents; first husband, Charlie Weber; second husband, Charles E. "Woody" Woodford; and a stepdaughter, Sue Ginther.

While Lois will be missed deeply by her family and friends, everyone who knew her knows she is "sitting in the lap of the Lord." She often said to her best friend of 80 years when they talked every night on the phone "I love you, and may God sleep on your pillow." That is what she wanted for all of those she knew and those she didn't know. Her advice for all of us when times were tough or there was a decision to make was "Just pray about it, Honey."

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Centenary United Methodist Church.

Funeral will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at the church, with the Rev. Dave Conley officiating. Burial will be at Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery in Cape Girardeau.

Online condolences may be shared at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.