Lois Hains

It is with great sorrow that we announce the death of Lois Hains, who passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 13th, in hospice care at Diamond Willow in Alexandria at the age of 102. Previously she lived in independent care at Grand Arbor in Alexandria for 10 years, and it was there that she suffered a severe stroke on Thursday, July 7th. We are grateful for the care and assistance of the staff at Grand Arbor for these past 10 years; for the help provided by care givers at Alternative Senior Care over the past year; and for the caring support and assistance of the staff at Diamond Willow and those of Douglas County Hospice over her final days.  Lois is survived by her sons, Ronald (Suzanne) and Kendall; grandchildren, Alexander (Jennifer) and Kristen (Michael); and great grandchildren, Joshua and Nicholas.  She was preceded in death by her loving husband (of 76 years) Leonard, her parents, eight siblings, and a son, Charles, who died in infancy.  In Lois’s 10 years at Grand Arbor, she thoroughly enjoyed seeing her many, many friends and participating in countless events and social activities.  She loved to be with people and she constantly cared about and kept close tabs on her family, friends, and neighbors, not just in her time at Grand Arbor, but throughout her life.  The coffee pot was always on.

Lois was born in Wheaton, Minnesota on August 14, 1919, where her parents, Ingvald and Hannah Maudal, farmed.  She attended schools there, and also went to the Agricultural School in Morris, Minnesota, and the Science School in Wahpeton, North Dakota.  She worked for a short time in Seattle, Washington, bucking rivets for aircraft wing construction, which earned her a nick name of “Rosie the Riveter".  It fit especially well since her middle name was Rozelle.  She was married to Leonard Hains in 1945 and they moved to Hastings, Nebraska to work in an ammunition factory until the end of World War II.  Her first son was born there and the second when she and Leonard returned to the Wheaton area to operate a country gas station.  Within a few years, they were able to purchase a nearby farm to raise their family and lived there happily and successfully until their retirement to Alexandria, Minnesota in 1983.

After retirement, Lois delighted in living by Lake Geneva where she and Leonard made many new friends and lived active lives, as well as continuing to spend wonderful times with relatives and friends they had known for years.  These were also years of travel, first in motor homes and later renting winter places in warmer states. Lois loved to be busy and these happy retirement years were no exception.

We wish to offer our greatest thanks to the many friends and neighbors who helped to make Lois’s life full and happy.  We thank her many friends and her family members, who came often to visit. We are especially grateful for lake-side neighbors, Tim and Kathy Schoonhoven and good friend, Marilyn Faber-Rouhoff who provided so much support and assistance over these more recent happy years of her long, wonderful life.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, July 22, 2022 at 1:30 PM at Grand Arbor Community Room in Alexandria, MN with visitation starting at 1:00 PM.