Lois Lord King

Lois Lord King, 89, of Butler passed away peacefully at 12:25 a.m. Tuesday in the loving care of Good Samaritan Hospice Unit at Concordia of Cabot.

Born Nov. 15, 1925, in McKeesport, she was the youngest daughter of the late Charles and Lucy Emma McMillen Stein. Lois was the last surviving member of her immediate family, which included seven brothers and sisters, one half-brother and two half-sisters.

A 1943 graduate of McKeesport High School, she attended Seton Hill University and was a 1945 graduate of Westmoreland Hospital School of Nursing. She was a registered nurse employed as the head nurse in the delivery room at Magee-Women's Hospital of Pittsburgh. She spoke often of her membership in the Army Nurse Cadet Corps, which continued for the duration of World War II.

She married Dr. Thomas W. King Jr. on July 9, 1948, in the First Methodist Church, McKeesport. They were married for 59 years until his death on April 20, 2008.

Following their marriage, the couple moved to Butler County to establish dental offices in both Chicora and Butler. She was office manager for the practice until their retirement from the Butler office in 1986. She completed certification for school nursing and American Red Cross CPR courses following their retirement from dentistry and was employed as a substitute school nurse for the Karns City School District for the next several years.

After they moved to Butler, she became a member of the First United Methodist Church of Butler, where she attended services until her recent illness.

With a lifetime interest in politics, “One Good Woman Can Make a Difference” was the slogan for her run for the 11th District representative in the state General Assembly as the Republican candidate in 1975, having won the primary election by one vote. She had the distinction of being the first female chairman of the Butler County Republican Party. Ever the loyal Republican, she relished meeting both President Richard Nixon and President George H.W. Bush.

She exercised her “bragging rights” to describe in detail her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren's educational and athletic accomplishments. In recent years, she spent many nights in front of her computer watching her grandson Will's hockey games. An avid reader, she most recently enjoyed the company of the members of her book club. Along with her children and grandchildren, she delighted in her travels to Europe, Asia and Mexico.

She and her husband were for many years the proud owners of a host of successful harness horses that raced continuously in both Pennsylvania and Ohio and occasionally in New York or Kentucky. In addition, they raced in Pompano, Fla., for several years. At the standardbred sale in Ohio, she selected and purchased the Ohio Sire Stakes Champion Kiss Me Bye.

She is survived by one son, Thomas W. King III and his wife, Marcy, of Valencia; two daughters, Cheryl Ann and her husband, Michael E. Walsh Sr., of Butler, and Mary Elizabeth and her husband, Edward Owlett III, of Wellsboro; and seven grandchildren, Emma Katherine King of Washington, D.C., Caroline Austin King of Arizona, William Henry King of Valencia, Michael E. Walsh Jr. and his wife, Eliza, of the United Kingdom, Charles Andrew Walsh and his wife, Diane, of Pittsburgh, Dr. Jennifer Sue Owlett-Motazedi and her husband, Alexander Motazedi, of Wayne, N.J., and Tricia Elizabeth Owlett of Berkeley, Calif. In addition, she is survived by four great-grandchildren, including Makana and Aroha Walsh of the United Kingdom and Catherine Beatrice and Andrew Timothy Walsh of Pittsburgh. Numerous nieces and nephews are among her survivors.

Her strong will and fierce determination to succeed in life touched all of those who knew and loved her. She will be dearly missed.

KING — Funeral services for Lois Lord King, who died Tuesday, April 7, 2015, will be private for close friends and family. The Rev. Tim Goodman of the First United Methodist Church of Butler will officiate.The YOUNG FUNERAL HOME, Butler, handled arrangementsMemorial donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Butler, the Good Samaritan Hospice Unit at Concordia of Cabot or the Butler Area Public Library. The family wishes to thank the nurses and staff of the Good Samaritan Hospice for their loving and compassionate care.