Lois L. Ford

Lois Ford, 92, of Hopedale, passed away at 1:45 pm Saturday, September 26, 2020 at Reflections Memory Care in Pekin.

Lois Lee Ary was born March 1, 1928 in rural Green Valley the daughter of Carl and Julia Cannon Ary.

Along with her brothers and sisters, Lois had paper routes in Green Valley and did babysitting as a girl.  At the age of 16, she worked at a bottling plant in Peoria during the summer and the next summer at a cookie factory.  Upon graduating from Green Valley High School in 1946, she attended summer school at ISU in Normal and began teaching school at a one room schoolhouse in Forest City at the age of 18. She continued attending summer school at ISU and teaching at Green Valley Grade School until her marriage.

She married Benjamin P. Ford on June 17, 1950 in Pekin.  They had seven children, Ed, Mary, Cathy, Patty, Dennis, Karen, and Thomas. She is survived by her seven children; two grandchildren, Dustin and Lakishia; and one brother, Dale Ary.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Ben in 2007; two brothers, Jim and Carl Jr.; and one sister, Mary.

Lois diligently raised her family on the farm in Hopedale.  Once all her children were older, she did babysitting for other families, worked for a time sewing at the “Raincoat” factory in Mackinaw, and worked as a cook at the Hopedale Medical Complex for over 10 years until her retirement in 2000.

She continued to live on the farm until moving to assisted living in 2016.

Lois enjoyed sharing many wonderful stories of family and friends and growing up in Green Valley. 

She was a faithful member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hopedale, participating in numerous church community functions and activities and served as a catechism teacher. Private services will be held. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Delavan.  Davis-Oswald Funeral Home in Tremont is handling the arrangements.

Memorials may be made to St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hopedale.

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