Lois M. Loewen

Aug. 4, 2016

Star Staff

Lois Marie Loewen, a member of East Hampton’s Round Swamp Lester family, died at her Newville, Pa., home on July 23 with her husband of 69 years, the Rev. John C. Loewen, at her side. She was 88, just a month shy of her 89th birthday. Though she had Parkinson’s disease, she led a full and happy life, her family said.

She served with her husband in Pennsylvania Methodist churches throughout Cumberland, York, and Adams Counties for 30 years. She bore the duties of a minister’s wife with skill and grace, and greatly enjoyed both her church family and her own, relatives said.

Mrs. Loewen was born on the family homestead in East Hampton on Aug. 19, 1927, the second child of Randolph and Ruth King Lester. She is the last of that family to survive, her brother Randolph having been killed in Europe during World War II and her brothers David and Thomas, and sister, Dorothy, all gone before her. She attended East Hampton High School.

She met her future husband, John Loewen of Mount Joy, Pa., while he was serving in the Navy in 1942. They were married on Dec. 15, 1946, in East Hampton, where they lived and worked until 1962, when they moved their family to Gardners, Pa., to pursue Mr. Loewen’s successful career in the ministry of the Methodist Church.

Mrs. Loewen especially loved camping, outdoor gatherings, and most any group get-together. Knitting was a longtime hobby that she tried to teach her daughters-in-law, Cyndi Loewen, Cherie Loewen, and Rhonda Loewen — with little success, they said, but much fun and laughter.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her sons Bradley Loewen of East Hampton, the Rev. Craig Loewen of Gettysburg, Pa., and Mark Loewen of Woolrich, Pa., and by seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Burial was at Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, Pa., with her son Craig officiating. There was a private family gathering on Friday, followed by a memorial service on Saturday.

The family has suggested memorial contributions to any church or place of worship of the donor’s choosing.

Correction: The original online and print version of this obituary gave an incorrect birth date and age for Lois Marie Loewen. She was born on Aug. 19, 1927, and would have been 89, not 90, this year. She and her husband moved to Gardners, Pa., in 1962.