Lois M. Shrum

Lois Murl Shrum was born March 18, 1930, at Glen Elder, Kansas to John August Phillip Ahlvers and Lena Mae (Dieckman) Ahlvers. She died May 29, 2022 at Residential Living Center in Garnett.

She attended rural school, Glen Elder Schools, and finally Ionia High School where she graduated with the class of 1948.

In 1950, she began work as a nursing aide in Dr. White's clinic in Garnett, Kansas. When the Anderson County Hospital was built in Garnett she was a first day employee when it opened in 1951.

Lois married Vernie Leon Shrum on April 1, 1951, in Ottawa, Kansas in the Lutheran parsonage. Later that year, Leon was drafted into the Army. After advanced training in 1952 at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where Lois and Leon lived just off base, Leon went to Korea as a radio operator with the signal corps during the Korean War. Lois went home to Kansas expecting son David born in October 1952, Leon was discharged from the Army in 1953.

They returned to Garnett where Lois began learning how to be an Xray Technician. She worked in that position until 1964, when the family moved to Burlington. Having bought and renovated a house in Burlington, Leon's job transferred him and the family to Hiawatha just five months later.

The family had only been in Hiawatha about a month when Lois was asked to train as a chairside assistant and Xray Technician for Dr. Banta's Dental practice where she stayed for five years. Leon's job transferred him again to Junction City in 1969. Lois went to work for the Dr's Bunker, Junior. and Senior in their medical practice. She worked as an office nurse and insurance clerk for thirteen years.

Lois and Leon moved back to Garnett in 1982. Leon retired in 1986. In 1990 after Leon tried his hand at selling insurance, with Lois running the office, they decided to quit working, and really start working becoming members of Laborers for Christ. The Laborers were retirees that lived in RV's at various worksites while renovating churches, building additions to schools, or building new construction. They made many dear friends during that time spending summer working on projects with the same crew.
They did that for nine years until Leon had a heart attack. While they stopped working projects, they spent a year working on the renovation of the old roller-skating rink in Garnett turning it into Trinity Lutheran Church where Lois' funeral will be held.
Lois' hobbies were volunteering at church and gardening. During her membership in several Lutheran churches, she taught Sunday School, vacation bible school, and confirmation classes. Every year while they still could Lois and Leon planted a large garden.

For several years she watched her grandchildren grow and then her great-grandchildren. In recent years she suffered broken bones that healed poorly. She fell more often and was slower to recover. She was proud of seeing her name on a tree of donors in the entry corridor of the new Anderson County Hospital and on a bench to rest weary bones outside the Residential Living Center.

Lois was preceded in death by her mother and father, her siblings Johnny Dale Ahlvers, Hilda Dietz, Glenda Funk, Larry Ahlvers, and Judy Richey.

She is survived by husband Leon, son David (Goldana), Garnett, grandchildren, Vandetta Mongeau (Brian), Eureka, KS, Zane Shrum, Satanta, KS, Devin Shrum, Garnett. Great-grandchildren, Chandler (Lacey) and Britta Mongeau, Braden and Brilee Shrum, and great-great-grandson Quinn Mongeau, and many nieces and nephews that she loved dearly.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 A.M., on Friday, June 3, 2022, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Garnett, Kansas, will burial following in the Garnett Cemetery. The family will greet friends at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service Chapel, Garnett, on Thursday evening from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church and Good Shepherd Hospice.

You may send your condolences to the family at www.feuerbornfuneral.com .