Lois Marie Lawrence

Lois M. Lawrence was born in Flint, Michigan June 16, 1940, to Louis and Pauline DeShano and died March 31, 2022, in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was married to her best friend John (J.D.) for almost 60 years, and was a wonderful mother to Deb (Indianapolis) and Blue (Kansas City) as well as a loving grandmother to Austen (Seattle) and Briggs, who preceded her in death. She is survived by three of her six siblings John, Mary, and Paula, and many nieces and nephews.

Lois was an entrepreneur, political activist and avid sports fan. She was engaged in politics for most of her adult life, through the League of Women Voters, as a candidate for the Elkhart (IN) city council, as finance director for Larry Conrad’s gubernatorial campaign, and as a precinct chair for Birch Bayh’s Senate Campaign, among other activities. She was a co-founder, along with JD and others, of Families in Action which produced educational workshops about teen drug abuse. She also co-founded Flowers a la Cart, which operated the first fresh flower kiosks in shopping malls in South Bend and Indianapolis. Lois and JD founded several companies in marketing, doing van conversions, and within the RV industry. For more than 25 years, Lois was a family therapist in Elkhart.

Lois was a passionate fan of Notre Dame football, Indiana University men’s basketball, the Chicago Cubs, and in later years Marian University cycling, basketball, and football. Lois and JD moved to Indianapolis in 2015 and developed a wide circle of friends there, especially among Deb’s colleagues at Marian University. Lois will be greatly missed by everyone whose life she enriched with her sharp questions, unflinching loyalty, and Irish sense of humor.

A celebration of life will be held later this year at Marian University. Memorial contributions may be made to the Lawrence Family Endowment at Marian.