Lois Orvick

Funeral Services for Lois I. Orvick will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Wednesday, October 28, at Bridge Community Church North in Albert Lea. The Reverend Clayton Balsley will officiate. Interment will be in Riverview Cemetery in Elmore, MN. Visitation will be one hour before the service at the church. Bonnerup Funeral Service is assisting the family. Lois Irene Orvick, age 93, passed away Thursday, October 22, 2015 at Thorne Crest Retirement Community in Albert Lea. Lois was born on April 22, 1922 to parents, Elsie (Henderson) and Bert Etler on a farm near Danbury, Iowa. Lois attended several country schools in northwest Iowa, high school in Ida Grove, Iowa, and worked towards her BA degree at Cedar Falls, Iowa and later at Mankato State University. She was inspired by her schooling to become a teacher and taught elementary education in rural schools, Ledyard, Iowa, Lakota, Iowa, and finished her teaching career teaching one on one with a child in the district. She would have been a proponent for year round school as she said the child would forget much of what he had learned over the summer and she would have to start over. While teaching in Ledyard, Iowa, she met John Orvick, a true farmer through and through. They married on November 24, 1945, and had three daughters. They raised their family on a farm near Ledyard, Iowa. Lois attended and was a member of Liberty Lutheran Church in Rake, Iowa. She taught Sunday school, Bible school, and held various positions in Ladies Aid as well as taking turns giving the Bible lesson. She had a wealth of knowledge about the Bible and many enjoyed her lessons. In their 60s, John and Lois retired to Bentonville, Arkansas and kept busy on their acreage with their cattle, goats and chickens. As they aged they realized they should be closer to children so moved to Eagle Grove, Iowa. It was hard to move into town being true farmers who loved being in the country. John died in 2006. Lois stayed in Eagle Grove for another year and a half before moving to Albert Lea in 2008. She was a member at Crossroads Church in Albert Lea, but has attended Bridge Community Church in recent years with her daughter, Marly, as she had to give up driving. Lois was a quiet lady who enjoyed reading, gardening, sewing, and quilting, donating many of her sewn items to charities. She will be fondly missed by her daughters, Marsha (Wil) Scott, Marly Evenson, Marvel (John) Mitterholzer; grandchildren, Marc (Jing) Tessier, Mirielle Tessier, Tressa (Jason) Patton, Jarod Evenson (Jo Oltman), Derek (Tammy) Evenson, Brady (Sarah) Evenson, Jay Mitterholzer, Andrew (Sarah) Mitterholzer, Kara Mitterholzer; great-grandchildren, Luke and Emily Tessier, Lily and Christopher Pilgrim, Zachariah, Seth, and KayLee Patton, Elijah, Freddrick, and Edwin Evenson, Abigail, Luke, and Matthias Mitterholzer. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother Donald in WW2 and her husband John. Her family thanks her for the Christian values she has passed on to them .She taught them by example in her daily life! She will be missed by many. Blessed be her memory.
Memorials preferred to Lifebuilders International, where her granddaughter and family are missionaries in Guatemala or to the American Bible Society, or charity of your choice.