Lois Wood

Lois R. Wood, age 85, of Normal, passed away of natural causes, peacefully at home on June 28, 2021.

Lois was born July 15, 1935, in Bloomington, IL the daughter of Lola E. and Theodore F. Steege, the third child of seven. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Margaret A. Steege, and a brother, Marvin C. Steege.

She married Donald D. Wood September 20, 1975, in Bloomington, IL.  He survives.

She is survived by two sisters Marilyn (Roger) Gottschalk, Platteville, WI, Zona (Tom) Guttschow, Bloomington, IL, and two brothers Gerald (Delores) Steege, Parkersburg, WV and Theodore Steege, Olympia, WA; twelve nieces and nephews, seventeen great nieces and nephews, extended family and friends.

Her memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at Kibler-Brady-Ruestman Memorial Home in Bloomington. A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service at the memorial home.

Lois was a modest, loving, generous person blessed with an exceptionally excellent memory.  She was a beloved wife, daughter, sister, and aunt.  The family could always count on her to recall family history and she left them with a treasured detailed document of their ancestry. Lois was a generous contributor to numerous ecological and environmental causes on a regular basis.

She was a lifelong member of Trinity Lutheran Church and attended Trinity Lutheran Grade School. She graduated from Bloomington High School, Class of 1953. Lois attended Illinois State Normal University for three years while working part time at State Farm.  She later returned to Illinois State University part-time to pursue further studies in Library Science.

A dedicated and gifted archivist, she retired from Bloomington Public Library and her family there after 43 years. She held a number of duties over the years at the library:  taking notes at library board meetings, serving the public when working the circulation desk, cataloged and purchased music for the music collection, and cataloging the Illinois collection to name a few.  Whenever you were out in public with Lois, it never failed that she would be recognized and greeted warmly by library patrons that she had assisted.

Lois enjoyed a number of interests. She and Don explored the lower 48 states, including parts of Canada and Nova Scotia. Her passion for reading resulted in her being involved in a number of book clubs.  She enjoyed the arts, the Trinity Lutheran Church Quilting Group, and puzzles! Lois always had a puzzle in progress and lost track of the number she had conquered. Her annual family reunions with her sisters and brothers were always a joy. She took a great interest in the lives of her nieces, nephews, and extended family always remembering birthdays and special occasions. It was always special to receive a card from Lois, for she always wrote a saying in it for you. She was happy being out in nature whether to bird watch, take in the spring flowers, work in her yard, or walk downtown Normal for a cup of coffee.

There are no words to describe how much she will be missed by those who knew and loved her.

The family is most appreciative for the support and care of Carle Hospice and also the Synergy Healthcare staff.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church building fund.