Lois Bedell

1934 - 2025

Lois Bedell

March 11, 1934 - June 18, 2025

Lois Bedell, 91, of Richmond, VA died peacefully at her home on June 18, 2025. She was surrounded by several of her children. Lois was born Lois Ann Klee, the daughter of Herman August Klee and Katherine Hatch Klee. She was one of 16 children (including two stepchildren).

Lois and her first husband, Robert Martin moved to Richmond in 1971. They divorced in 1973 leaving her a single mother with a houseful of children. She worked hard to support and hold her family together. She worked at Union Theological Seminary until her retirement as Facilities Management Administrator in 2002.

She married Frank Bedell in 1974. They knitted two sets of children into a family. She and Frank were a lively couple with a devotion to each other that became more prominent as their health declined.

Lois's greatest love was for her family which included both her children and her stepchildren. Whether by birth or marriage, she was a loving parent to all of her children. To Lois, family also included the spouses or significant others of her children, close neighbors, their children, and friends. When her children were growing up her big house was often filled with friends of her children and neighbors. All were treated like family. Her house was a refuge for many teenagers growing up. Grown family members always had a place to stay. She had a special bond with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved the continual gatherings of family, friends, and neighbors in her kitchen.

Lois developed lasting friendships perhaps because she was an avid listener and wanted to hear what others around her had to say. She could be counted on to confide in or to seek consolation. After retiring she took Spanish lessons in a senior center. She confessed that her Spanish was not very good but she wanted to talk to the laborers that did much of the landscaping and they did appreciate this older woman trying to speak to them in their native language.

Her garden was close to her heart. It was her refuge and gave her great satisfaction whether working in it, or sitting on a garden bench or deck enjoying it. She was still an active gardener in her 80s. When bending proved troublesome, she could be found on all fours weeding, pruning, and thinning, often identifiable at a distance by the weeds being tossed aside in the air. The two things she could not abide in her garden were orange flowers and slugs. Her kids tell of her ridding her garden of slugs using salt or scissors.

She was an avid reader, reading for hours at a time, and would often walk the many blocks to the public library until the advent of the "Little Free Library's' which were a game changer for her.

Lois is survived by her six children and three stepchildren, 18 grandchildren, and 25 great grandchildren. All will miss her smile, her kindness, her easy and welcoming nature, and her love. She lived a long and full life and left this appropriate advice, "Make friends that are younger than you so you will always have friends".

A celebration of Lois' life will be held 2 p.m. on June 28, 2025 at Bennett Funeral Home, 11020 W. Broad Street, Glen Allen with a light reception to follow. There will be a private graveside service at Hollywood Cemetery. A live stream of the service will be available at https://www.memoriesvideography.com/funerals/lois-bedell/

Bennett Funeral Home

West Chapel