Lois Adele Smith Faulkner passed October 20, a bit after midnight, to join her beloved Sam, her son Chris, and all who went before her. She was born August 17, 1927, in Middlesboro, KY to Lloyd and Hazel Smith, the youngest of three…she was pre-deceased by her sister, June Parker,.
But her brother, Harold Smith, lives in Tyler, TX and will be 100 in February! She is also survived by her daughters Susan Benner and Nancy Davis, plus 6 grandchildren she dearly loved: Kate Benner Hardy (Michael), Sam Faulkner (Seane), Jessica Mahanes, Kayla Benner, Andie Faulkner Szyman (Josh) and Sydney Davis, along with three great-grandchildren.
Lois met Sam at a church function while in high school. He walked her home and they sat on the "courtin' porch" at her home and talked. When she went in the house, she told her mother "I am going to marry Sam Faulkner!"….and she did! They dated until he joined the Navy and served during WWII, and wrote long, impassioned letters (we assume they were impassioned, as she burned them when we were old enough to read!) on almost a daily basis. Maybe because of that, her parents sent her to North Carolina Women's College, and when Sam returned, he went to Emory. After 2 years, they married in June, 1948, and finished their degrees at University of Louisville, where they lived on Sam's veteran pension of $103 a month, a third story walk-up in a Victorian mansion within walking distance of U of L. When they graduated, Sam went on to work for Ballard Mills (later Pillsbury) and Lois became a teacher. They bought a small house near Iroquis Park where they had Susan and Nancy, then built a house in Clarksville in 1959, where Chris was born 3 months after they moved. They lived there until 2017.
Lois stayed home with their children until Chris went to kindergarten and then went back to teaching…first at Mother Goose kindergarten, then eventually Ewing Lane Elementary (now Bridgepoint) where she taught both fifth and second grades over the years. She loved teaching and the children loved her…she was strict, but exuberant, loving and oh, so fun! She not only taught, but was very active in the church and community activities…had a beautiful alto voice and always sang in the choir, taught Sunday school, volunteered with Sam at the community kitchen, visited friends in nursing homes every Wednesday, had a several page prayer list of people she prayed for EVERY morning, and donated blood every 8 weeks until she was in her mid-80's. She also moved her parents from Middlesboro and visited them every day except Sunday (unless she and Sam were traveling) from the late 70's until her mother passed 6 days before her 100th birthday in 2003.
Traveling!!! Our "big memory" was the family trip "Out West" in 1970, the summer before Susan's senior year. Sam planned the month-long trip almost to the minute…the family joke was "Here's the Grand Canyon. Everyone see the Grand Canyon? Ok, back in the car…we have to be at Salt Lake City by noon!" Of course, that is a HUGE exaggeration, but he planned it so we hit almost all the National Parks and many much smaller attractions (the Little Brown Church in the Valley from the hymn was probably the most obscure), and Lois made the month-long trip in a Kingswood Estate station wagon fun…we sang songs, played games, counted cows….and all five of us survived the trip!!
But once they retired, they REALLY took off….drove to all 50 states (except Hawaii….the ocean stopped them at San Francisco and they flew from there) and nine provinces in Canada…in all, they clocked more than 51,000 miles over the years. They would play their music…usually Big Band…and Lois would read Sam the Reader's Digest, Guidepost, and heaven knows what else. She was seldom at a loss for words!
She loved eating out: it was their regular Friday night date… and any other time she could wrangle it. Her famous saying was "I made dinner for (40?) years….now I make reservations!" She would take her local grandchildren to River Falls Mall on Mondays to ride the rides, and visit her Texas grandchildren at least once a quarter, and stay with them when Chris and Debbie went on trips. She loved them all so much! She and Sam loved being together, and missed their 70th anniversary by only 2 months and 2 days when he passed in 2018.
All in all, we feel much blessed to have had both her and Daddy as parents. They taught us integrity, ethics, love, loyalty, and how to have fun! We laughed, we cried, we butted heads, but we never doubted for a moment we were loved. We will miss her always.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM with a funeral service to follow at 2:00 PM. Lois will be laid to rest in Kraft-Graceland Memorial Park.
But her brother, Harold Smith, lives in Tyler, TX and will be 100 in February! She is also survived by her daughters Susan Benner and Nancy Davis, plus 6 grandchildren she dearly loved: Kate Benner Hardy (Michael), Sam Faulkner (Seane), Jessica Mahanes, Kayla Benner, Andie Faulkner Szyman (Josh) and Sydney Davis, along with three great-grandchildren.
Lois met Sam at a church function while in high school. He walked her home and they sat on the "courtin' porch" at her home and talked. When she went in the house, she told her mother "I am going to marry Sam Faulkner!"….and she did! They dated until he joined the Navy and served during WWII, and wrote long, impassioned letters (we assume they were impassioned, as she burned them when we were old enough to read!) on almost a daily basis. Maybe because of that, her parents sent her to North Carolina Women's College, and when Sam returned, he went to Emory. After 2 years, they married in June, 1948, and finished their degrees at University of Louisville, where they lived on Sam's veteran pension of $103 a month, a third story walk-up in a Victorian mansion within walking distance of U of L. When they graduated, Sam went on to work for Ballard Mills (later Pillsbury) and Lois became a teacher. They bought a small house near Iroquis Park where they had Susan and Nancy, then built a house in Clarksville in 1959, where Chris was born 3 months after they moved. They lived there until 2017.
Lois stayed home with their children until Chris went to kindergarten and then went back to teaching…first at Mother Goose kindergarten, then eventually Ewing Lane Elementary (now Bridgepoint) where she taught both fifth and second grades over the years. She loved teaching and the children loved her…she was strict, but exuberant, loving and oh, so fun! She not only taught, but was very active in the church and community activities…had a beautiful alto voice and always sang in the choir, taught Sunday school, volunteered with Sam at the community kitchen, visited friends in nursing homes every Wednesday, had a several page prayer list of people she prayed for EVERY morning, and donated blood every 8 weeks until she was in her mid-80's. She also moved her parents from Middlesboro and visited them every day except Sunday (unless she and Sam were traveling) from the late 70's until her mother passed 6 days before her 100th birthday in 2003.
Traveling!!! Our "big memory" was the family trip "Out West" in 1970, the summer before Susan's senior year. Sam planned the month-long trip almost to the minute…the family joke was "Here's the Grand Canyon. Everyone see the Grand Canyon? Ok, back in the car…we have to be at Salt Lake City by noon!" Of course, that is a HUGE exaggeration, but he planned it so we hit almost all the National Parks and many much smaller attractions (the Little Brown Church in the Valley from the hymn was probably the most obscure), and Lois made the month-long trip in a Kingswood Estate station wagon fun…we sang songs, played games, counted cows….and all five of us survived the trip!!
But once they retired, they REALLY took off….drove to all 50 states (except Hawaii….the ocean stopped them at San Francisco and they flew from there) and nine provinces in Canada…in all, they clocked more than 51,000 miles over the years. They would play their music…usually Big Band…and Lois would read Sam the Reader's Digest, Guidepost, and heaven knows what else. She was seldom at a loss for words!
She loved eating out: it was their regular Friday night date… and any other time she could wrangle it. Her famous saying was "I made dinner for (40?) years….now I make reservations!" She would take her local grandchildren to River Falls Mall on Mondays to ride the rides, and visit her Texas grandchildren at least once a quarter, and stay with them when Chris and Debbie went on trips. She loved them all so much! She and Sam loved being together, and missed their 70th anniversary by only 2 months and 2 days when he passed in 2018.
All in all, we feel much blessed to have had both her and Daddy as parents. They taught us integrity, ethics, love, loyalty, and how to have fun! We laughed, we cried, we butted heads, but we never doubted for a moment we were loved. We will miss her always.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM with a funeral service to follow at 2:00 PM. Lois will be laid to rest in Kraft-Graceland Memorial Park.
Lois Adele Smith Faulkner passed October 20, a bit after midnight, to join her beloved Sam, her son Chris, and all who went before her. She was born August 17, 1927, in Middlesboro, KY to Lloyd and Hazel Smith, the youngest of three…she was pre-deceased by her sister, June Parker,.
But her brother, Harold Smith, lives in Tyler, TX and will be 100 in February! She is also survived by her daughters Susan Benner and Nancy Davis, plus 6 grandchildren she dearly loved: Kate Benner Hardy (Michael), Sam Faulkner (Seane), Jessica Mahanes, Kayla Benner, Andie Faulkner Szyman (Josh) and Sydney Davis, along with three great-grandchildren.
Lois met Sam at a church function while in high school. He walked her home and they sat on the "courtin' porch" at her home and talked. When she went in the house, she told her mother "I am going to marry Sam Faulkner!"….and she did! They dated until he joined the Navy and served during WWII, and wrote long, impassioned letters (we assume they were impassioned, as she burned them when we were old enough to read!) on almost a daily basis. Maybe because of that, her parents sent her to North Carolina Women's College, and when Sam returned, he went to Emory. After 2 years, they married in June, 1948, and finished their degrees at University of Louisville, where they lived on Sam's veteran pension of $103 a month, a third story walk-up in a Victorian mansion within walking distance of U of L. When they graduated, Sam went on to work for Ballard Mills (later Pillsbury) and Lois became a teacher. They bought a small house near Iroquis Park where they had Susan and Nancy, then built a house in Clarksville in 1959, where Chris was born 3 months after they moved. They lived there until 2017.
Lois stayed home with their children until Chris went to kindergarten and then went back to teaching…first at Mother Goose kindergarten, then eventually Ewing Lane Elementary (now Bridgepoint) where she taught both fifth and second grades over the years. She loved teaching and the children loved her…she was strict, but exuberant, loving and oh, so fun! She not only taught, but was very active in the church and community activities…had a beautiful alto voice and always sang in the choir, taught Sunday school, volunteered with Sam at the community kitchen, visited friends in nursing homes every Wednesday, had a several page prayer list of people she prayed for EVERY morning, and donated blood every 8 weeks until she was in her mid-80's. She also moved her parents from Middlesboro and visited them every day except Sunday (unless she and Sam were traveling) from the late 70's until her mother passed 6 days before her 100th birthday in 2003.
Traveling!!! Our "big memory" was the family trip "Out West" in 1970, the summer before Susan's senior year. Sam planned the month-long trip almost to the minute…the family joke was "Here's the Grand Canyon. Everyone see the Grand Canyon? Ok, back in the car…we have to be at Salt Lake City by noon!" Of course, that is a HUGE exaggeration, but he planned it so we hit almost all the National Parks and many much smaller attractions (the Little Brown Church in the Valley from the hymn was probably the most obscure), and Lois made the month-long trip in a Kingswood Estate station wagon fun…we sang songs, played games, counted cows….and all five of us survived the trip!!
But once they retired, they REALLY took off….drove to all 50 states (except Hawaii….the ocean stopped them at San Francisco and they flew from there) and nine provinces in Canada…in all, they clocked more than 51,000 miles over the years. They would play their music…usually Big Band…and Lois would read Sam the Reader's Digest, Guidepost, and heaven knows what else. She was seldom at a loss for words!
She loved eating out: it was their regular Friday night date… and any other time she could wrangle it. Her famous saying was "I made dinner for (40?) years….now I make reservations!" She would take her local grandchildren to River Falls Mall on Mondays to ride the rides, and visit her Texas grandchildren at least once a quarter, and stay with them when Chris and Debbie went on trips. She loved them all so much! She and Sam loved being together, and missed their 70th anniversary by only 2 months and 2 days when he passed in 2018.
All in all, we feel much blessed to have had both her and Daddy as parents. They taught us integrity, ethics, love, loyalty, and how to have fun! We laughed, we cried, we butted heads, but we never doubted for a moment we were loved. We will miss her always.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM with a funeral service to follow at 2:00 PM. Lois will be laid to rest in Kraft-Graceland Memorial Park.
But her brother, Harold Smith, lives in Tyler, TX and will be 100 in February! She is also survived by her daughters Susan Benner and Nancy Davis, plus 6 grandchildren she dearly loved: Kate Benner Hardy (Michael), Sam Faulkner (Seane), Jessica Mahanes, Kayla Benner, Andie Faulkner Szyman (Josh) and Sydney Davis, along with three great-grandchildren.
Lois met Sam at a church function while in high school. He walked her home and they sat on the "courtin' porch" at her home and talked. When she went in the house, she told her mother "I am going to marry Sam Faulkner!"….and she did! They dated until he joined the Navy and served during WWII, and wrote long, impassioned letters (we assume they were impassioned, as she burned them when we were old enough to read!) on almost a daily basis. Maybe because of that, her parents sent her to North Carolina Women's College, and when Sam returned, he went to Emory. After 2 years, they married in June, 1948, and finished their degrees at University of Louisville, where they lived on Sam's veteran pension of $103 a month, a third story walk-up in a Victorian mansion within walking distance of U of L. When they graduated, Sam went on to work for Ballard Mills (later Pillsbury) and Lois became a teacher. They bought a small house near Iroquis Park where they had Susan and Nancy, then built a house in Clarksville in 1959, where Chris was born 3 months after they moved. They lived there until 2017.
Lois stayed home with their children until Chris went to kindergarten and then went back to teaching…first at Mother Goose kindergarten, then eventually Ewing Lane Elementary (now Bridgepoint) where she taught both fifth and second grades over the years. She loved teaching and the children loved her…she was strict, but exuberant, loving and oh, so fun! She not only taught, but was very active in the church and community activities…had a beautiful alto voice and always sang in the choir, taught Sunday school, volunteered with Sam at the community kitchen, visited friends in nursing homes every Wednesday, had a several page prayer list of people she prayed for EVERY morning, and donated blood every 8 weeks until she was in her mid-80's. She also moved her parents from Middlesboro and visited them every day except Sunday (unless she and Sam were traveling) from the late 70's until her mother passed 6 days before her 100th birthday in 2003.
Traveling!!! Our "big memory" was the family trip "Out West" in 1970, the summer before Susan's senior year. Sam planned the month-long trip almost to the minute…the family joke was "Here's the Grand Canyon. Everyone see the Grand Canyon? Ok, back in the car…we have to be at Salt Lake City by noon!" Of course, that is a HUGE exaggeration, but he planned it so we hit almost all the National Parks and many much smaller attractions (the Little Brown Church in the Valley from the hymn was probably the most obscure), and Lois made the month-long trip in a Kingswood Estate station wagon fun…we sang songs, played games, counted cows….and all five of us survived the trip!!
But once they retired, they REALLY took off….drove to all 50 states (except Hawaii….the ocean stopped them at San Francisco and they flew from there) and nine provinces in Canada…in all, they clocked more than 51,000 miles over the years. They would play their music…usually Big Band…and Lois would read Sam the Reader's Digest, Guidepost, and heaven knows what else. She was seldom at a loss for words!
She loved eating out: it was their regular Friday night date… and any other time she could wrangle it. Her famous saying was "I made dinner for (40?) years….now I make reservations!" She would take her local grandchildren to River Falls Mall on Mondays to ride the rides, and visit her Texas grandchildren at least once a quarter, and stay with them when Chris and Debbie went on trips. She loved them all so much! She and Sam loved being together, and missed their 70th anniversary by only 2 months and 2 days when he passed in 2018.
All in all, we feel much blessed to have had both her and Daddy as parents. They taught us integrity, ethics, love, loyalty, and how to have fun! We laughed, we cried, we butted heads, but we never doubted for a moment we were loved. We will miss her always.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM with a funeral service to follow at 2:00 PM. Lois will be laid to rest in Kraft-Graceland Memorial Park.
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