Lois Ann Murphy MacLaren, aged 89, passed away Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in East Grand Rapids, MI joining Don, her husband of 60 years. Born in St. Louis, MO, Lois was the youngest of three daughters of Reginald Thomas and Sarah Pendleton Murphy. Originally from Canada, her parents moved to the States when "Reg" took a job with General Motors during the automotive industry heyday of the 20's and 30's. Lois attended St. Benedict's Elementary School near Buffalo, NY and Sacred Heart Academy in Grosse Pointe, MI. Trained in piano, drawing, sculpting and with an affinity for all things art, Lois greatly enjoyed acting in the Academy's plays. She continued to study the arts at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY, completing her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor and a Master's in Reading from Western Michigan University.

As a young girl, Lois and her family paid a Christmas visit to "Uncle Tom," a priest and family friend who took in her father when he was orphaned. Uncle Tom's chef made quite the impression on Lois when he served her a flaming plum pudding! It inspired her love of hosting elegant holiday family dinners, filled with food and laughter spurred on by the wit of her husband Don, who enjoyed bantering with their five children.

Lois was a new teacher when she met Don at a party held at "Shangri-La," the house he rented with a group of up-and-coming businessmen in Detroit, MI. They married and lived in Detroit, then moved to East Grand Rapids in the mid-60s. There, Lois joined the Grand Rapids Art Museum as an art educator. She enjoyed working in the local schools and decorating her home with artwork loaned by the institution. Lois threw herself into all things children: serving as a Cub Scout "Den Mother," sewing her daughters' clothes, fabricating a doll house by hand, raising the family's beloved dog, Arabelle, and finding the perfect outlet for each of her children's particular bents: piano, drama, hockey, skiing, ballet, gymnastics. She wanted her children to find joy and a sense of accomplishment in school, sports, or the arts. After being a stay-at-home mom for several years, Lois returned to teaching, initially at Grace Episcopal Nursery School, then as a third through fifth-grade teacher at St. Paul the Apostle School, and finally as an adult education teacher and workforce specialist with the Grand Rapids Public Schools. In retirement, she volunteered as a reading tutor for children and as a Meijer Gardens tour guide.

Her gracious manner, nurtured by her parents and treasured by all who knew her, is her legacy. Whether at work or home, Lois dressed beautifully and charmed all she met with her warmth. She had an easy way with people, always showing an interest in and concern for them. She was most attentive to the small, oft-overlooked poignancies of life; she felt for those shorted by life and abandoned in some way by others or society. She abhorred unkindness. She leaves behind longtime friends from college and the Pi Beta Phi sorority, many nieces and nephews, the skilled, compassionate caregivers at Beacon Hill, neighbors from the Lake Shore Condos in East Grand Rapids, her beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren and her children: Don R., who predeceased her, Anne L., Michael T. (Kathy), Mary J. McCabe (Patrick) and Susan E. May all who knew her remember her for her special manner. Donations can be made in Lois' honor to the Literacy Center of West Michigan or St. Paul the Apostle School Donnelly Endowment.

Visitation for family and friends will be held on Monday, July 15 at 10 AM at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. A funeral mass will follow, beginning at 11 AM. Inurnment at Holy Cross Cemetery.