Lois Stuart

Lois Stuart, age 91, of Sioux City, Iowa, passed away on Monday, September 7, 2015, 2015, at Holy Spirit Nursing Home. Mass of the Christian Burial will be at 10:30 AM, on Friday, September 11, 2015, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Interment will follow in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5 PM to 8 PM on Thursday, September 10, 2015, at Meyer Brothers Morningside Chapel, with the family present from 6 PM to 8 PM and a Vigil Service at 7 PM followed by a Rosary. Online condolences may be left at www.meyerbroschapels.com. Lois Frances Petrik was born July 27, 1924 to Alois and Frances Petrik. Lois attended Immaculate Conception grade school and graduated from East High School in 1942. While at East High, Lois enjoyed writing for the school newspaper. Post graduation, Lois was active with planning class reunions. Lois attended Morningside College and worked for Wetmore Declamation Bureau. Lois met her husband, Jerry Stuart, at a dance at Shore Acres in Sioux City. They were married at Immaculate Conception church in Sioux City on June 1, 1949. During their marriage they enjoyed dancing together, attending music performances, practicing their faith, traveling, attending all their children and grandchildren's various events, and making all holidays extra special for their family. In 1977, they opened and operated the Farmers Insurance group, Jerry Stuart Agency, where they both were agents. Lois and Jerry retired together in 1993. Jerry passed away on December 31, 1995. Lois enjoyed her Czech heritage and was a fabulous cook. She looked forward to the regular family reunions with her cousins in Tabor, SD. Lois was a great historian for family heritage and loved to share stories and traditions passed down. In addition to cooking, Lois also enjoyed gardening flowers and vegetables. Lois was a wealth of knowledge when it came to identifying varieties of flowers. Many of her flowers continue to bloom in her daughter, Peggy's garden. You could expect her to incorporate her fresh produce into many meals and she would find a way to can or freeze the rest to last all year. Nothing ever went to waste! Lois even spent many evenings as a young mother, sewing her children's clothing, making their doll clothes, and even sewing her own clothes. Lois played piano in the past and was a lover of music. She made sure her children had music lessons and also took her children and grandchildren to many musical performances, including those summer Sunday evenings at the Bandshell. Lois was fortunate to have traveled to Europe twice to explore her Czech heritage and the roots of her Catholic faith in Rome. She was proud to have seen the Pope a few times in her lifetime. Lois also traveled across the country and took many summer vacations with her family. She was always up for new adventures and places to see, as she vibrantly loved life! Lois was a lifelong member of Immaculate Conception church in Sioux City. Lois' parents and grandparents were among the first members of the church. She was extremely passionate and dedicated to IC church and volunteered for several committees, including the altar society, liturgy writing committee for Sunday masses, finance committee, and was appointed to the church renovation committee to name a few. Lois also served as lector and Eucharistic minister for masses. Lois organized and chaired many of the church dinners that served as fundraisers for IC parish; you could count on her for setting up, cooking, and cleaning up after the many events over the years. Lois especially enjoyed attending daily mass during her retirement years and socializing after mass over some coffee with her brother, Bob, and their many friends. After the loss of Jerry, Lois saw a need to gather her many church ladies together in a group called the Merry Widows, in which she initiated and planned various outings, including celebrating birthdays to make each lady feel special. Every outing had a perfectly planned theme. Lois was gifted with leadership skills and had a heart of service to others. She served as president of the Carmelite Guild, organizing and cooking for their yearly luncheon fundraiser, and she would also drive the Carmelites to various appointments and do regular grocery shopping trips to help them out. Lois also was the co-founder of Birthright of Siouxland, which was the first of its kind in this area to give women an alternative to abortionshe was very passionate in volunteering and raising funds for this pro-life organization for many years. Lois also served as president of the Siouxland Youth Symphony. Recently, Lois was honored for being a 50+ year member of the Catholic Daughters of America. It is difficult to encompass with words the fulfilled life Lois lived and the tremendous amount of love and joy she had for her family, her faith, and for life in general. We will miss her originality, her unwavering support and prayers, her outgoing personality, and her bright smile and eyes. Lois leaves her loving memories to be cherished by her 3 daughters, Barbara (John) Duzik of Sioux City, Peggy Ann (Joseph) Frisbie of Sioux City, and Elizabeth (Scott) Trayer of Scottsdale, AZ. Also left to honor and remember Lois' love are her 8 grandchildren Peggy Duzik & Laura (Mike) Miller; Katrina (Joe) Donovan, Dr. Ann Frisbie, & Emily (Kyle) Cleveringa; Richard Trayer, Lisa Trayer, & Jerry Trayer. Lois' 7 great grandchildren will miss her dearly. Lois adored her role as the older sister of 5 children and always looked out for her brothers and sister; Lois is survived by her brother Bob Petrik of Sioux City and her brother Michael (Dawn) Petrik of Dallas, TX. Lois was preceded in death, and will now join her parents, her loving husband, and her 2 siblings, Patricia Petrik Wetmore and Dick Petrik. The family wishes to express a sincere thank you to Holy Spirit Retirement home for the compassionate care they gave to Lois.