Lois Alicia Epper, age 83, of Paterson, passed into eternal rest and into the presence of God’s glory on Thursday, August 16, 2018.

Lois was born in Paterson and raised in Hackensack and Hillsdale. She was a graduate of Paterson’s Central High School, Class of 1954 and, after graduation, she went to work as a secretary for the Lotte Chemical Company in Paterson.

Lois met her husband Charles at a baseball game. After a happy time of courtship, they decided that love should lead to marriage and so on Saturday, August 21, 1954, they exchanged their wedding vows before God, family and friends at the Paterson Avenue United Methodist Church. After their honeymoon, in Washington DC, they made their first home together in Paterson where, a couple of years later, they welcomed the blessing of a baby boy and Lois quickly settled into the role of mother and homemaker. Sadly, in 1961, Lois’ husband Charles passed away after only seven years of marriage.

Lois had to return to the workplace and, knowing that she would need a job of a primary bread winner, she attended nursing school at Passaic County Tech. After graduating as a licensed practical nurse, she took her first position at Barnert Hospital in Paterson working the day shift so she could get Jack off to school and making sure to be home when his classes were over. After some time at Barnert, she joined the staff of Dr. Charles Gold, Podiatrist in Fairlawn until ovarian cancer necessitated a leave of absence. By God’s grace, after a complete recovery, Lois went to work for NJ Carbonator Service – a soft drink distributor, until retirement in 1997.

Despite having to work full-time, Lois put as much love and passion as any great mom would into her God-given role as mother. She considered it to be the most important calling in her life and she was a top-notch mom. After a long day at work and school, she and her son Jack would spend quality time together going over his homework and in their spare time and summers, she shared her love of travel. Lois loved road trips and she and Jack took many of them – sometimes twice a summer up to Maine as well as trips to see family in West Virginia, Georgia and South Carolina. There were also trips in the car to Florida and flights to California to see San Francisco and Yosemite National Park.

Lois enjoyed spending time in her kitchen where a family favorite was her chicken with gravy, mashed potatoes and string beans. She considered cooking to be a hobby and even took classes at Adventures in Cooking in Wayne. A long-time member of the Wayne Presbyterian Church, she had a real heart of service and was always happy to offer a hand if she could. If you needed a meal or a ride to a doctor’s appointment, Lois was there, and when her son Jack was growing up and his friends would come over, Lois was always available to lend an ear and offer some sage advice. At church she served as a deacon and she enjoyed rolling up her sleeves to help out at church functions.

Lois was like a ray of warm sunshine on a chilly day. She was typically upbeat, cheerful and very outgoing. Her son Jack would say that his mom was like a mayor because she was always up to date on current events and loved to talk about them, she liked to fix situations, and she loved to engage in conversation and offer wise counsel. Lois touched the lives of many people and will be sorely missed by her family and friends alike.

Lois was the beloved wife of Charles, blessed in marriage for seven years until his untimely passing in 1961. She was the loving mother of John “Jack” Epper of Paterson; and dear aunt of numerous nieces and nephews. Lois was also predeceased by her dear brother Alfred Roberts.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Lois’ name are asked to consider the Wayne Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund, 1200 Alps Road, Wayne, NJ 07470.