Lois Cecilia Wareham

Lois (Robinson) Wareham was born on April 12, 1942 in Pocahontas, Iowa. She was the fourth of five daughters born to Lloyd and Cecilia (Neu) Robinson. At an early age, her family moved to Omaha, Nebraska where she attended the Duchesne Academy high school and, later, Mount Saint Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas.

In 1962, while working at Creighton University Dental School, she met her future husband, a pharmacy student named Jack Wareham. They were married in 1965 at Christ The King church in Omaha and were soon blessed with two children, Jackie and Matt.

As a wife and mother, Lois actively supported Jack in his career while raising their children. Along the way, the family moved from Omaha to Iowa and then to six different states, making new memories and lifelong friends at each stop. In 1984, the opportunity arose to move to Southern California, where Lois and Jack have made their home ever since.

Though she often described herself as more spiritual than religious, Lois lived a faith-filled life that was inspired by her Catholic upbringing. She believed fervently in the intercession of the saints, she often prayed the Holy Rosary and maintained a lifelong devotion to our Blessed Mother.

Her faith also inspired a deep-rooted commitment to compassion, charitable giving and education. She and Jack were instrumental in providing for higher education among many family members and friends. Education was Lois’s passion and, working with Jack, they extended the family’s generosity through the Wareham Family Scholars program at Washington University in Saint Louis and the Ignatian Merit Scholarship Program at Creighton University. These programs have made a profound difference in the lives of countless students, many of whom could not have pursued an undergraduate or graduate program without this financial assistance.

But Lois most enjoyed spending time with her sisters and her friends, either in person or over a phone call. She loved an in-depth conversation, an occasional Lemondrop martini, the view from room 628 at the Kea Lani on Maui and just about anything on the menu at Da Bianca in Orange. She was a trusted confidante and mentor to countless young people and, to most of them, she was simply known as “Nana”, a title that she cherished.

Lois was preceded in death by her sister, Patty Hazeski but is survived by her husband, Jack Wareham, as well as sisters Betty Toews, Sally Porter and Jane Carpenter. Her immediate family includes daughter Jackie (Craig) Hemke and son Matthew (Diana) Wareham and three granddaughters (Sabrina, Madeline and Samantha). Her extended family includes many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends that are nearly too numerous to count…all of whom will forever miss her mischievous smile, her gentle laughter and her unconditional love.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, July 18 at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana.

In lieu of flowers, our family requests that memorials be directed to the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. https://secure.give.uci.edu/LoisCWarehamMemorialGifts