Lois Marie Kerkow Wolfram was 3 days from her 95 th birthday, when she passed away peacefully on Monday, June 24, 2019, at The Lutheran Home in Belle Plaine, Minnesota. Except for a few years of living in Minneapolis, Lois was a lifelong resident of Jordan, MN.
A Christian Funeral will be held on Saturday, June 29 at 11 am, with a visitation starting at 9:30 am, at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, 100 Sixth Street, Jordan. Pastor Jeremy Glowicki will preside, with grandchildren and great-grandchildren as pall bearers. Lois will be laid to rest at Spirit Hill Cemetery, in Jordan. Memorials are preferred in lieu of flowers and will be distributed in her honor, by the family.
In a stone house in St. Lawrence Township, MN, Lois was born to parents Edward and Hulda (Dubbe) Kerkow, on June 27, 1924. She grew up on a farm west of Jordan, with her younger sister Doris. Their parents taught them to have a strong faith, work hard, to have good morals and to be loyal to family. Lois attended a one room schoolhouse through the 8 th grade skipping 3 rd grade and graduating from Jordan High School in 1941.
Lois’ ambition was to be an author, but life took her in another direction. She attended Gustavus Adolphus College and Minneapolis Business College, each for a year. Lois worked as a secretary for the YMCA, Graybar Electric, Boulay, Anderson and Waldo companies in Minneapolis, MN.
Lois met her husband David Clarence Wolfram at a restaurant in Jordan, Minnesota owned by her uncle Otto Kerkow. Lois and David were married on June 26, 1948 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jordan, Minnesota. Lois and David briefly lived in Minneapolis before settling their roots in Jordan, where they were blessed with 5 children, Jane, Marilyn, Mark, John and Paul. As a family, they enjoyed visiting relatives and friends and many Sunday dinners at “the farm” where Lois and her sister Doris grew up. Holiday and birthday celebrations were always special events. The Wolfram family took some trips to various resorts “up north” as well as some road trips to visit David’s sister’s family in Pennsylvania and a few other places.
Lois spent much of her early married life as a stay at home mom, later returning to the work force as a Nursing Assistant at Valleyview Nursing Home and then as the Church Secretary at St. Paul Lutheran Church before retiring. After retirement, David & Lois enjoyed taking trips around the country especially enjoying trips to Maryland to visit son Mark and his family.
Lois was active at St Paul’s Lutheran Church throughout her life. She was a member of the Ladies Aid, serving as President and Treasurer. She also taught Sunday School and attended Bible Studies. Her church has always been special to her, for this is where Lois was baptized, confirmed and married.
After battling cancer, David passed away on March 4, 1998. Lois continued to live in the family home for quite a few more years before moving into the Schule Haus (actually the same location of the old Jordan High School building) for several years, and then moved to Oak Terrace Assisted Living, in Jordan, where she lived her remaining years. Lois enjoyed reading, playing cards and completing crossword puzzles and visiting. She loved visiting and being visited by her children, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The legacy of Lois now lives on in the hearts she loved the most, children, Jane (Greg) Myers, Marilyn (Paul) Kaufenberg, Mark (Donna) Wolfram, John (Lori) Wolfram, Paul (Cheryl) Wolfram; 10 grandchildren; 18 great grandchildren; 5 nieces; other relatives and friends.
Preceding Lois in death is her husband, David; 1 granddaughter; 1 great-grandson; sister, Doris (Jim) Heinisch and sister-in-law Winnifred (Tim) Lafferty, 2 nieces, her parents, her in-laws, many cousins, relatives and friends.
Ballard-Sunder Funeral and Cremation proudly served and cared for the Wolfram family.
www.ballardsunderfuneral.com
