Lois K. Vail

Lois Kay Vail, 83, of Parsons, passed away peacefully on December 23, 2025, at Parsons Presbyterian Manor.

Lois Kay was born on May 4, 1942, in Woodward, Oklahoma, to Eddie Lee Alldredge and Isma Fothergill. She and her sister, Carolyn, spent their early years being raised by their grandparents in Woodward. After Eddie Lee returned home from World War II and married Agnes Leighton, the family moved to Miami, Oklahoma, where Lois spent the remainder of her childhood and gained a half-brother, Eddie Mark Alldredge. Lois graduated from Miami High School in 1961.

She met the love of her life, Raymond Vail, and they were married on May 25, 1979. With their marriage, Lois stepped into the life of a rancher and farmer, embracing the work with quiet strength and devotion. Together with Raymond and other family members, she helped establish Wolf Creek Cattle Company, a venture formed through shared effort and deep respect for the land. Lois loved working side by side with Raymond, proudly serving as his number one hand. They never took a day for granted, filling each day with love. Some of her happiest years were spent tending cattle, mending fence, and learning to drive a tractor – passing long, satisfying hours working the land and helping sow wheat beneath wide open skis. When winter slowed the fields, Lois returned to her lifelong love of art, filling the colder months with creativity, reflection, and expression.

Inspired from an early age by the colors, light, and shadows of western Oklahoma, Lois carried a deep love of art throughout her life. Before becoming the number one hand on the family farm, she poured that passion into an art studio in Altamont, where she taught drawing and painting through Labette Community College and welcomed others into her creative world by selling art supplies. Over the years, Lois joyfully shared her talent through painting, pastels, and drawing, earning Grand Champion honors twice at the Labette County Fair and receiving recognition in juried art shows. She was proud to have a one-woman art show in Independence and to be named Artist of the Month in Parsons. In recent years, she found special fulfillment participating in Art is Ageless, winning multiple judged events and having her artwork featured in their annual calendar. From childhood through her later years, art was not just something Lois did – it was part of who she was.

Lois also served as president of the Coffeyville Night Writers Club for seven years, where she formed dear friendships and received recognition for her writing. She entered Kansas Authors Club competitions and won multiple times across several categories, taking great pride in her expressive way with words. Lois dearly loved being a Granny and sharing old wives’ tales, often accompanied by her quick wit and unmistakable sense of humor. She liked to say she could “work a crowd”, a talent that never failed to bring smiles and laughter to those around her. Proud of her Oklahoma heritage, she followed University of Oklahoma football with great enthusiasm and also enjoyed cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs. Her colorful sayings, playful storytelling, and warm presence left a lasting impression – one that will be fondly remembered by all who knew and loved her.

Survivors include her daughters, Lisa Vanderhofe and Valerie McElroy and her son, Shannon Vail, and their spouses; her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; four stepchildren; and her half-brother, Eddie Mark Allredge.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond Vail; her grandson, Mike Vanderhofe; her stepsons, Fred, Rod and Danny Vail; her father, Eddie Lee Alldredge; her mother, Isma Fothergill; her step-mother, Agnes Alldredge; and her sister, Carolyn Botts.

There will be a Celebration of Life at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, January 18, 2026, at the Angola Community Center in Angola, Kansas. Cremation was under the care of the Bath-Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home of Altamont.