Photo courtesy of Byles-Groton Memorial Home - Groton
Oct 8, 1930 - Feb 15, 2026
Pam and family, I'm so sorry for your loss. Your mother sounds like an amazing woman Deena Steinberg
Deena
March 02, 2026 | Family
Jay My condolences She sounds like a wonderful lady with a full life
Joe Daly
March 02, 2026 | Other
Memorial Tree
Lois (Strickland) Dempsey
March 02, 2026 | Jewett City
Pam, Karen, Jay and Rhonda,
I just learned of Lois' passing. Please accept my sincere condolences. I was a co-worker of Lois' at DBB. She was a special co-worker and boss, always fun to work with and for.
I remember Lois hosting a number of after hour activities at her home, especially sewing projects. I still enjoy quilting, which started at Lois'. DBB had fun activities for staff like a whale watch one Saturday where most of us got sea sick.
Pat Lindholm
March 01, 2026 | Eau Claire, WI | Friend
Jay, Ronda and the Dempsey family. My deepest sympathy for your loss. May she rest in peace. Charles Hedding
Charles Hedding
February 28, 2026 | Other
Dear Pam, Jay, and Karen, I am so sorry for the loss of your Mom, the last of the Strickland sisters. She had a good long life. I didn't know your Mom well, but I found her to be a warm and gracious woman, just like her sister Ede who was like a second Mom to me during my teenage years. I remember a day in 1968 or '69 as a young college student at the Avery Point Branch of UCONN. As I was walking to class from the parking lot, I spotted your Mom across the campus green carrying an armful of...
Gary Viscione
February 27, 2026
Pam, I want to send my sincere condolences to you and your family. I'm glad you got to have so many loving years with your Mom. A mother is irreplaceable.
Beverly Sandrock
February 25, 2026 | Avon, CT | Friend
Jay, we just picked up on this due to Facebook. She certainly seemed like a very interesting person. Hope you find comfort in kind words that others who knew her share with you. Take care and our profound condolences to you.
Tom & Carole Donnee
February 25, 2026 | Friend
What a lovely woman, sending our love to the Dempsey family in your time of such a loss
Chris & Deb Roddy
February 24, 2026 | Friend
POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER: NOTE NEW DAY AND TIMES
With love and sadness, we share that Lois Strickland Dempsey passed away peacefully on February 15, 2026, with her family by her side. It meant so much to Lois that, with the devoted care of her daughter Karen, she was able to remain at home in Groton, Connecticut her whole life.
Born on October 8, 1930, in New London, Lois entered the world alongside her twin brother, Lawrence. She was the daughter of George Ledyard Strickland of Quaker Hill and Perla Hunt Strickland of Essex.
Lois experienced profound loss early in life, as she was widowed twice in her twenties. She was predeceased by her husbands, Robert R. Thomas and Jerome J. Dempsey, Sr. Her mother Perla, a former teacher, came to live with her and helped raise her children.
In later years, Lois was predeceased by her eight siblings: Vera Adair, Dora Adair, Audrey Trask McCormick, Edith Steward, Ralph Strickland, Winnie Myers, Lawrence Strickland, and a baby sibling lost in infancy.
She is survived by her three children, Pamela Thomas (whose husband, James Murphy, predeceased her), Karen Dempsey, and Jay Dempsey (wife, Rhonda Dempsey). She is also survived by her granddaughter, Rachael Dempsey (husband, David Campagna).
Lois graduated from Williams Memorial Institute (WMI) in 1948. She always spoke fondly of her time there, especially playing trumpet in the marching band. Committed to her education, she went on to attend Roosevelt Hospital School of Nursing in New York City, where she became a registered nurse.
She always told us, “You can be anything you want to be.” After 20 years as a nurse, she took on a new challenge and returned to school to become an accountant. She earned her bachelor’s degree from UConn, became a CPA, and eventually became a partner at Doherty, Beals & Banks in New London.
Lois lived life to the fullest. She volunteered with the Red Cross, loved golfing and bowling with friends, and enjoyed watching UConn Women’s Basketball. She was always cheering on her family, whether in sports, theater, or music. More than anything, Lois loved sitting with family and friends to talk, laugh, and enjoy dessert together.
She was blessed with close family ties and cherished friendships throughout her life. She is lovingly remembered by many nieces and nephews, including Carol Adair Munch, Linda Paduano Iacono, and Bobby Myers, as well as her dear friend Connie Stoddard. She was predeceased by her best friend, Alberta Davis, and Alberta’s husband, Norm Davis and her step daughter Louise Dempsey.
Calling hours will be held on Monday, March 2, 2026, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at Byles-Groton Memorial Home, 310 Thames St in Groton. A funeral service will take place on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 11:00 AM at the Groton Congregational Church, 162 Monument Street in Groton. Private burial will be at Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London.
In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make a memorial donation in honor of Lois Dempsey to American Red Cross, PO Box 37839, Boone, IA 50037-0839.
"She will be missed more than words can say and remembered as the strongest person we have ever known."
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