Lois Barton Tollefson Witherspoon

1926 - 2020

Lois Barton Tollefson Witherspoon

Greensboro, NC - Lois Barton Tollefson Witherspoon, 94, long-time resident of Salem, OR, passed away peacefully Monday night, August 31, 2020 in Greensboro, NC. She was a fierce, passionate, intense, loving and fun individual. She embraced everyone she met, and will be remembered fondly. She was a wife, mother, sister, daughter, teacher, counselor and thoughtful friend.

Lois was born in Havre, Montana January 15, 1926 and was the 6th of 12 children. As a young child she loved riding her pony around the family sheep ranch in the Montana foothills. Her parents moved the family to Corvallis, Oregon to escape the hardships of the Dustbowl. She settled in Salem, Oregon, married, raised three children, earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from Western Oregon State College, taught special education and was a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the State of Oregon. Olaf Tollefson, the love of her life, passed away in 1974, she later married Robert Witherspoon and they enjoyed traveling together until he passed in the mid 90's. Throughout advancing years, Lois remained strikingly active and independent, including enthusiastic weekly participation in the Silver Sneakers exercise program. Declining health in 2016 led her to move to Greensboro, NC to be near her daughter, granddaughter and great-grandchildren.

Lois loved to make denim quilts, was a wonderful cook and after being widowed a second time, embraced her love of carousels and became a master carver of carousel horses with the Salem Riverfront Carousel project. She found a warm community of friends at the carousel and loved being part of the carousel carving family. She received the "Guardian of the Light" award in 2008 due to her commitment to the Riverfront Carousel and her thousands of volunteer hours as a carver, in the ticket booth and in the gift shop. Watching children ride on the horses she helped carve, was magical for her. She was tenaciously independent and remained inspiringly adaptable. Regardless of the occasional hardships that surrounded her, she unfailingly declared, "Can't complain".

Lois is survived by her brother, George Barton of Hermiston, Oregon; sisters, Fran Loucks of Stayton, Oregon, Geneva Woodring of Portland, Oregon, and Marciel McOwen of Albany, Oregon; her three children, Don Tollefson of Venice, California, Sue Tollefson of Milwaukie, Oregon and Deborah "Tolly" Tollefson of Greensboro North Carolina; grandchildren, Jake Egger and his wife Katrina, of Salem, Oregon, Greta Smith, her husband Preston and their children, Murdoch, Ollie and Alice of Pleasant Garden, North Carolina.

A memorial gathering will be scheduled for a later date when it is safe to assemble.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Salem Riverfront Carousel, 775 Summer St., NE Suite 200, Salem, Oregon 97301.

Online condolences may be made at www.haneslineberryfhnorthelm.com.