In Memoriam: Lois Bevins

Lois Bevins (1928 – 2019). Photo provided by Bevins Family

Born in Coon Rapids, a small town in Iowa, Lois was raised up alongside family, friends, family who were her best friends and friends who were like family.

At the age of six, when her father passed away, Lois, her mother, sister and brother moved in with her grandfather. Her cousins introduced her to basketball, Girl Scouts, the school newspaper and the school band. Her aunts, uncles, grandparents and mother all instilled in her the importance of caring for one another, the reward of hard work and a need to be independent.

When she graduated high school, Lois followed her cousin, Mary, to Cottey College. Those two years at the all-girls school in Missouri were two of the best years of her life. She made lifelong friends, stepped into the roles of leadership and gained a true sense of confidence that a woman could do anything a man could do. This confidence led her to transfer to Stanford University and play on one of their first women’s basketball teams.

When she graduated, she took a job at a newspaper in New York City. Returning home, after a year in the Big Apple, Lois reconnected with, and married, her childhood classmate Noel Bevins in 1950. In the next few years, they started a family, moved to California and started the Bevins Animal Hospital in Canoga Park, California. They raised their daughter, Sandra, and two sons, Doug and Brad. During this time, Noel and Lois belonged to the Lions, PTA, PEO, bowling teams, school activities and went on family camping trips.

Noel and Lois moved to Canyon Lake in 1989 and quickly became an active part of the community. Unfortunately, Noel became ill and passed away in 1992. As a widow, Lois filled her time with friends, family and travel. Her adventures include trips to Hawaii, a huge family reunion in Iowa, hiking the Great Wall of China, playing with monkeys in Bali and riding an elephant in Africa.

Entering her eighties, Lois focused on local causes. She was president of Lioness Club, drove for Meals on Wheels, president of PEO, played bridge three times a week and enjoyed the company of her friends. She also cherished spending time with her family, especially her four grandchildren and her great-granddaughters.