Lois Kearns

Lois Mae Kearns was born May 17, 1935 to Seneca and Ethel (Luinstra) Shelinbarger in Laverne, Oklahoma. At a young age she was reborn as a child of God, and she continued as a committed follower of Jesus for the rest of her life. In her high school typing class, one of her fellow students, Leslie Dan Kearns, kept making mistakes. Not having planned ahead, he did not have an eraser of his own and always had to borrow hers. Or perhaps he did plan ahead: after they graduated, they were married and had three children. After 19 years of happy marriage, during which he served as a typist in the US Navy, Leslie died young, leaving Lois to finish raising their children. She was up to the task, settling in San Diego and earning two degrees at Christian Heritage College in order to become an Elementary and Special Ed teacher. She loved working with the children. She said that she could use any big word she wanted as long as she told them what it meant. After retiring from her career in education, Lois moved to the Pacific Northwest, where the majority of her grandchildren were being born. She had one physical setback when the car her son was working under slipped off its jack, and she picked it up to rescue him. The ambulance came for him and took her instead. But broken backs heal, and she recovered her good health. She purchased a bookstore in Portland, running that until she retired the second time in 1992 to be simply Grandma Lois. She spent the remainder of her years in Yakima, living independently until her very last weeks. Lois was preceded in death by her husband, Leslie, her son Steve, and her sister Alma Bartow. She is survived by her son Victor Kearns (Linda) of Tulsa, Oklahoma, daughter-in-law Eileen Kearns of Saint Helens, Oregon, daughter Danette Franklin (Paul) of Selah, Washington; grandchildren James, Jacquelyn, Jo Lynn, Joshua, Jonathan, Benjamin, Stephanie, Lois Grace, Faith, Laurene, Miriam, Tycko, Timothy, Sarabeth, Marie, Dawnita, AnnaLeah, Alexander, and Caleb; great grandchildren Monica, Heather, Micheal, Aarron, Samantha, Christopher, Reese, Madalynn, Emanuel, Emily, Lilith, Alyssa, Arrow, Kezziah, Nehemiah, Boaz, and one unborn; great great grandchildren Mya, Emily, Landon, Baily, Michylah, and Sophia; and two sisters, Arena Wright of Laverne, Oklahoma, and Joy White of Shattuck, Oklahoma. Funeral service will be 1:00 pm, Wednesday April 20, 2016 at Valley Hills Funeral Home Chapel (2600 Business Ln., Yakima). Graveside committal will follow the service at Tahoma Cemetery. Lois was committed to supporting the Union Gospel Mission of Yakima and two missionary couples in South America: Jeff and Beth Hause (southamericamission.org) and Tim and Virgie Farley (abwe.org). In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to one of these three. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Lois Kearns, please visit our flower store.