Lois Ellen Anderson (Baker)

Lois Ellen Anderson (née Baker) passed away on February 24, 2022 in Montrose, Colorado. She was 96 years old.

Lois was born to Thomas Frank Baker and Ethel Baker on November 30, 1925 in Olathe Colorado and spent her entire life in Olathe and Montrose.  After briefly attending Colorado A&M College (now Colorado State), Wallace “Wally” Anderson returned from World War II and swept her off her feet, and they married on November 18, 1945. They took on farming and ranching on California Mesa, and raised three children: Michael “Mike” (Carol) Anderson, Sarah “Sally” (Martin) Sprang, and Stephen “Steve” (Karen) Anderson. Lois had four grandchildren.

Lois loved singing and playing piano, and was often asked to sing at weddings and funerals in Olathe. She also enjoyed dancing with Wally, and they were frequently found cutting a rug at the Elks Lodge in Montrose.  She was handy with knitting needles and the sewing machine, and like many of her generation was proficient at cooking and canning for the family.

In retirement, Wally and Lois took up golf and Lois was a regular in the Black Canyon Ladies League. They traveled around the U.S. and went on several ocean cruises, and moved from the farm in Olathe to Montrose in 1994. Lois was widowed in 1998 when Wally passed, and was preceded in death by her brother Jay Baker.

In accordance with her wishes, Lois will be cremated and there will be no public memorial service. Her ashes will be spread near the family mountain cabin where Wally’s ashes were spread 24 years ago. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in the memory of Lois to HopeWest hospice (https://www.hopewestco.org/memorial-gifts/ or via check to HopeWest, 725 S 4^th Street, Montrose, CO 81401).