Lois Anne Sobotka

Lois Anne Sobotka, was born on July 27, 1935, to Cecil and Lois Allen. She passed away at the age of 90 on Monday, December 8, 2025 at the Clearview Nursing Home in Mount Ayr Iowa.
Lois Anne grew up on a farm near Knowlton northwest of Diagonal. She attended the Knowlton School and the Jefferson #6 School and graduated from Diagonal Community High School in 1953. After graduating from high school, Lois Anne moved to Des Moines and worked at Employers Mutual Company and lived with high school friends for two years. She then moved back to Diagonal and married David Milton Sobotka, her high school sweetheart and classmate, on January 29, 1956, at the Diagonal Methodist Church. They made their first home near Diagonal, then moved near Redding, then moved north of Maloy, and then moved south of Diagonal in 1974. The couple had five children, Dan Edward, Brian David, Brent Ivan, Rhonda Lois and Darwin Gene.
Lois Anne was a fulltime homemaker and farmer's wife. One summer, while her children were younger, she worked with her sister-in-law, Jean Lumbard, as a cook at the Diagonal Church Camp west of town on J23. She started working at the Diagonal Lion's Café in the late 70's and then at Ringgold County Hospital as a Dietary Aide for several years until her retirement. She was a member of the United Church of Diagonal, the Mariam Circle, later known as Diagonal Women's Fellowship, a neighborhood coffee club, Home Helpers Club and the neighborhood card party group. The card party group was a long-held tradition for many years, of several families getting together once a month at each other's homes. The parents would play pitch while all of the kids played together. It was always a great time and it was a fond memory for Lois Anne and her entire family.
Lois Anne was very involved in her community as a Diagonal Lion's Club wife helping with the annual Labor Day Celebration and attending Diagonal Community School functions and many basketball, baseball and softball games over the years. She always enjoyed attending the annual Diagonal Community School alumni banquet. Lois Anne and Dave attended the Iowa State Fair and camped with other Diagonal families in the same area of the fair campground for many years.
Lois Anne and Dave enjoyed traveling and took several trips together. One of the most memorable trips was with Lois Anne's twin brother, Turk, her sister, Kay, and their families. They went to Florida in 1971 to see Lois Anne's parents, Cecil and Lois, as they wintered there. Lois Anne often talked about how they drove to the ocean and all ten kids took off running for the water in their clothes and shoes!
Lois Anne moved to a home in Diagonal in 2002 and then became a resident of the Clearview Nursing Home in January of 2011. Lois Anne enjoyed playing bingo, attending church, getting her hair and nails done and made many great friends at Clearview.
Lois Anne was preceded in death by her husband David, her infant son Dan Edward, her parents Cecil and Lois, her siblings, Willis "Turk" and Kay, and her son-in-law Mike Lohmann.
Left to cherish her memory are her children, Brian (Pam) of Creston, Brent of Diagonal, Rhonda of Diagonal, Darwin (Michele) of Oro Valley AZ, grandchildren Stacey (Matt) of Creston, Katelyn of Ridgecrest CA, Travis of Creston, Jacob (Detra) of Tucson AZ, Tony of Diagonal, Cassidy (Brandon) of Des Moines, Madison of Des Moines, and Joshua of Diagonal, sister-in-law Sharon Sobotka of Diagonal, brother-in-law Lloyd Drake of Tingley, several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Memorials are to the United Church of Diagonal.