Cover photo for Lois Mary Pedersen's Obituary
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1931 Lois 2013

Lois Mary Pedersen

December 31, 1931 — November 3, 2013

Lois Mary (Shea) Pedersen, 81, of Remsen, Iowa and formerly of LeMars, IA, passed away on November 3, 2013 at Happy Siesta Health Care Center in Remsen, IA.
        Funeral service will be at 1 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, at St. James’s Catholic Church in LeMars with Rev. Paul Eisele officiating.  Burial will be in the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Remsen.  Visitation will be anytime after 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013.  There will be a parish rosary at 5 p.m. and a vigil prayer service at 7 p.m. all at the Fisch Funeral Home & Monument in Remsen, IA.  Visitation will resume one hour prior to the service on Friday at the church.  
        She was born December 31, 1931 to Laurence and Martha (Galles) Shea and grew up on the family farm south of Remsen, IA.  She attended a country school near Remsen and graduated as valedictorian of her 1949 Union-Consolidated
High School class.  The class was very close-knit and held many reunions.  She had a knack for numbers and worked in
accounting for several years at CSS in LeMars.
        Lois married Paul Pedersen on Nov 22, 1952, and they raised five children.  The family moved several times but in 1970 moved to the same family farm where Lois was born and raised.
        She was a lifelong Catholic who was very involved in all aspects of church life.  She was a member of the Incarnation church choir in Minneapolis, MN.  Lois was a parishioner at St James parish in LeMars, IA for nearly twenty years.  She helped form and direct a prayer chain at St James parish. Lois was a Eucharistic minister for many years at St James and brought communion to residents of nursing homes in LeMars.  She also helped to form a prayer chain at St Mathews parish in Cedar Rapids, IA while living with her son Mark.  While living with her son Jay, she was a member of the St Mary's choir in Omaha.
        She was known for her singing, including her yodeling, which she learned early in life from her sister Elaine.  She later
yodeled for the nursing home residents at Happy Siesta.  She was also known for her famous baked spaghetti recipe.  Lois loved solving crossword puzzles, and could not rest until they were solved!
        Lois loved to spend time with her grandchildren.  She traveled to important events in their lives and celebrated their accomplishments.
        Lois battled Rheumatoid Arthritus for the last forty two years of her life, resulting in many surgeries to try to cope with its damaging affects.  She remained active for many of those years and maintained a positive outlook.
        While at the Happy Siesta Nursing home, she was a co-resident with her sister Elaine for several years.  Her sisters
and brothers who live in the area often visited and were able to have many small family reunions there.
        She is survived by her five children: David (Marty) Pedersen of Flower Mound, TX, Mark (Julie) Pedersen of Cedar Rapids, IA, Lori (Rick) Graves of Nashevill, TN, Jay (Kathy) Pedersen of Omaha, NE and Amy (Brad) Cross of St Louis, MO, and by nine grandchildren: Christopher Pedersen, Ben, Bethany, Jacqueline and Jessica Pedersen, Meredith and Carson Graves, Daniel Pedersen, and Gwyneth Cross: two sisters, Clara Kayser and Carol (Clyde) Schuttpelz all of LeMars: one brother, Paul (Shirley) Shea of Marcus, IA.
        Lois is preceeded in death by her parents Laurence and Martha Shea, brothers Gerald, Walter, Omer and Larry Shea,
and sister Elaine Sanow.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Lois Mary Pedersen, please visit our flower store.

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