Lois Gee
Lois Jean Gee, 76, passed away on Dec. 19, 2006, in Sandpoint, Idaho.
Lois was born March 21, 1930, in Augusta, the daughter of Louis and Lula (Goss) Hoffman. Growing up in a large family of five sisters and two brothers made for many fond memories and some lively get-togethers later in life as families gathered for various occasions.
In about 1940, her family moved to Whitefish, where Lois attended high school and also worked as a nurse's aide at the hospital.
On April 14, 1950, in Polson, Lois married the love of her life, William J. "Bill" Gee, who worked for the Great Northern Railroad. Lois and Bill were married for 53 wonderful years and raised three boys — Bill, Ken and Russ.
Bill, Sr. passed away on Memorial day, May 26, 2003. Lois, deeply saddened, showed her immense strength by forging ahead and being the thoughtful, caring, loving, generous mother, grandmother, sister and aunt she always had been.
The ever-faithful wife and mother, Lois followed her husband to sometimes isolated places as he worked on the railroad. From the prairie of Glendive to the sometimes snowbound-climes of Summit, she persevered, raising her two oldest boys, Bill and Ken, while making sure the whole family was healthy, well-fed and clean.
Even snow depths up over the eaves of the house did not shrink her from her duty to family. Two active boys wanted to go outside no matter the weather, so Lois bundled them up and fashioned masks out of an old pair of tweed pants Bill Sr. no longer needed. Out they'd go and shortly come back as the cold quickly changed the fickle minds of the boys.
Later, they moved to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and then on to Sandpoint in 1961. Their youngest son, Russ, was born there in 1962 and that is where the family's roots grew. Russ remembers many day picnics with mom along the shores of Lake Pend Oreille before he became school-age.
Besides many great family vacations and tent camping with the boys, Lois and Bill later enjoyed many trips camping in their fifth-wheel at places like Robinson and Priest Lakes in northern Idaho. They both loved fishing, and she was known to occasionally out fish Bill. She enjoyed meeting other campers and sharing conversation and a cup of coffee around the evening campfire.
Lois was preceded in death by her parents, husband, sisters Fern Kaber, Dorothy Thompson and Joanne Wolfe and a brother, Pat Hoffman.
Lois is survived by sons Bill and wife Peggy, of Newport, Wash., Ken of Sandpoint, and Russ and wife Brenda, of Lewiston, Idaho; sisters Gloria Gregg and Betty Sagen, of Whitefish; brother Jim Hoffman, of Edmonds, Wash.; five grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services will be held Friday, Dec. 29, 2006, at 1 p.m. at Coffelt's Funeral Chapel, 109 North Division, Sandpoint, Idaho, with Chaplain Paul Graves officiating. Interment will be at Pinecrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Sandpoint.