Lois Willma Blackmore (nee Bogart) passed away at Points West Living in Grande Prairie, AB on Sunday, July 17th, at age 92. Lois was born in Wetaskiwin on May 29, 1924, to William and Willma Bogart, and was the eighth of eleven children. The family lived on a farm near Breton AB. Lois left school after she finished grade eight because the walk to high school was too far. She worked as a cook’s helper in her father’s logging camps before leaving home to find work in Wetaskiwin. In 1942/43, Lois was working as a milk maid on a farm near Wetaskiwin, where a young school teacher named Gordon Blackmore was boarding. Their relationship had a rocky beginning, as they were reputed to fight like cats. After Gordon volunteered to join the Air Force, he was assigned to basic training at No. 4 Wireless School in Guelph, Ontario. Lois travelled by troop train to Guelph in December, and married Gordon on December 18th, 1943. The couple first came to Grande Prairie, when Gordon was stationed here as a Wireless Operator following his Air Force training. Milton and Danny were born in 1944 at Lacombe and 1946 at Grande Prairie, respectively. After the war, Gordon returned to teaching at Flying Shot Lake one room school for two years. Lois and Gordon then moved to Red Deer, then Blairmore with Gordon in several occupations and Lois making a home out of some fairly poor circumstances. By 1953 they found work with the Alberta Forest Service. Initially they were stationed at the Carrot Creek Fire Tower. Ryan was born in 1953 at Rocky Mountain House. Gordon attended Ranger School at Kananaskis in 1954. The family moved to Woking and then Hythe where Gordon was the Forest Ranger. David was born in 1955 at Grande Prairie. In 1959, Gordon went to work for Alberta Municipal Affairs, and the family moved to Grande Prairie. They built a house near Flying Shot Lake. Lois dreamed of running an orphanage, but settled for helping many people they met in a variety of difficult circumstances. Wanda permanently joined the family in 1971, when she was 9 years old, fulfilling the families’ love for a daughter and sister and sheltering her from a broken home. Lois attended secretarial school in the early 1960s before working for several years as the Provincial Secretary. She left that position to open a fabric store, The Workbasket, and provided Grande Prairie with yard goods and handcrafted wedding dresses for many years. The Workbasket was sold in 1979, and Lois and Gordon retired to Langley, BC. Gordon died in 1997, and Lois moved back to Grande Prairie to be near family. Lois is survived by her brother Robert, sons Danny, Ryan (Heide), and David (Gladys), son-in-law Glen Friesen, grandchildren Christopher, Derek, Anastasia, Nathan, Kory, Kari and Cameron, and several great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Lois was pre-deceased by her husband, Gordon, children Milton and Wanda, daughters-in-law Faye and Marlynne and nine brothers and sisters. The family extends a special thank you to the staff at Points West Living, for the outstanding care and support they have provided Lois in the several years she spent with them. Lois will be laid to rest beside Gordon at the Fairview Cemetery, 4430 Woodland Drive, Lacombe, Alberta at 3:00 pm Thursday, July 21st in a graveside service. After the service we will gather for fellowship at the Cozy Corner Seniors Center, 5024-53rd street in Lacombe from 3:45 to 5:00 pm. Please let me know if you plan on coming to Cozy Corner. E-mail: dave.blackmore@telus.net or cell or text 780 830 6611 Care entrusted to Bear Creek Funeral Home (780) 830-7742 www.bearcreekfuneral.com