Lois Ellen Ekstrom

Aug. 13, 1925 - Jan. 27, 2018

A celebration of life will be held for Lois Ellen Ekstrom, 92, at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Church of God in Reedsport.

Lois was born Aug. 13, 1925 in Maxwell, Neb., the daughter of Floyd Wilbur Carter and Ethel Lavern Perkins. She completed the eighth grade in Reedsport, then worked throughout the 48 states as her father moved about looking for work during The Great Depression.

On April 22, 1961, Lois married Russ C. Ekstrom in Stevenson, Wash. Because Russ was in the U.S. Navy they moved quite a bit living in Portland, San Diego, Calif., Escondido, Calif., Honolulu, Hawaii, San Francisco, Calif., Newport, R.I., Yakosuka, Japan and finally Reedsport.

Her military service was being married to and supporting Russ during his 28-year, 6-month career.

Lois was an excellent bowler and motorcycle rider. She had traveled to Alaska, England and throughout Europe. She loved to go camping, deep sea fishing - she could out fish everyone - and motorcycle rides.

Lois was a member of the Reedsport Church of God, an U.S. Navy wives association member, and worked as a volunteer at the Umpqua Discovery Center.

She is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, Russ Ekstrom; daughter and son-in-law, Shirley and Dan Welch; son and daughter-in-law, Daniel and Terri Stoltz; five grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her mother, father, two sisters and two brothers.