Lois Jean Campbell Pfeifer

Lois Jean (Campbell) Pfeifer, a most loving, sweet and kind daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, returned to her heavenly home on December 1 after sharing her angelic spirit and Christian faith of love, compassion and grace to others throughout her lifetime.

She is survived by her loving and devoted family - daughter and son-in-law, Natalie and Jim Herrmann of Raleigh; her daughter-in-law, Gwen Pfeifer of Cary; her grandchildren that were so precious to her - Jeana (Graham) Pfeifer of Martinez, California, Jason Pfeifer of New City, New York, Lauree Herrmann of Seattle, Washington, Kristy (Brandon) Hollis of Kenmore, Washington, and Jackson Pfeifer of Austin, Texas; her cherished great-grandchildren, Auden and Weston Pfeifer, and Annie James Hollis; her sisters, Jo-Ann Bennett of Granville, Ohio and Becky Eaton of Grand Rapids, Michigan; and her most special nieces and nephews, Lydia Bellknap, Julee Bolg, Kathee Millard, John Bolg, Steve Hopkins, Mark Hopkins, Andy Hopkins, Jeff Hussey, Jill Eley, Alan Welch, Mary Ellen Winegardner, and their families.

She was preceded in death by her dedicated husband and love of her life, John; her beloved son, John Philip, as well as her infant son, Keith Pfeifer. She is no doubt greatly rejoicing in heaven to be reunited with so many other family members that she loved and cherished so deeply, especially her sister and brother-in-law, Mary Lou and Alan Hopkins; and her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Cora Mae and Dick Bellknap…….as well as her best furry friend, Molly that she adored so very much.

Columbus, Ohio was her childhood home, with Newark, Ohio being the center of the Richardson and Campbell families. There are so many fond memories of Thanksgiving and 4th of July Reunions with over 100 relatives in attendance. Her “Firm Friendship” and devotion to the Ohio State University (Go Bucks!) was quite evident throughout her lifetime. She was always so proud of pointing out that she attended the famous “Snow Bowl” of 1950; neither blizzards or cold could separate her from her cherished Buckeyes! During more recent football seasons, she so enjoyed and reveled in being a special guest of the Ohio State Alumni Club of the Triangle – North Carolina game watches held at The Brickhouse in Raleigh.

In 1979, she, John and Natalie moved to the Pirates Cove community in Cary, North Carolina when John was transferred by IBM. Since that time, the family’s love for the Tarheel State simply blossomed and we are so grateful for all of the blessings, friendships and memories shared with us over the past 44 years in countless ways. In particular, her devotion and love for the Grace Lutheran and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church families, as well as the Via de Cristo Ministry, were a most special source of joy and love for so many years.

Being the oldest of four daughters, hard work, determination, responsibility, guidance and devotion defined her work ethic over the years. She was a very faithful employee of Sears Roebuck & Co. in Columbus at Westland Mall, as well as Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh and Cary Towne Center in Cary, where she was the official ribbon cutter during their grand opening celebration and where she performed as Winnie the Pooh for special store events. Because of her overflowing and immense love for her children and grandchildren and to provide them with extra special gifts for the holiday seasons, she also worked extra holiday hours for several years at Cary Mall as one of Santa’s and the Easter Bunny’s special helpers. She loved the joy in children’s faces and they no doubt cherished her making their holiday visits extra fun for them.

Though she tried many times to learn to drive a car, yet failed……. she loved traveling the world with her husband, John. While trips to Myrtle Beach with family were such a highlight for many years, she also

grew to love the Atlantic Beach and Ocean Isle beaches of North Carolina. In their retirement years, their travels took them to England, Scotland, Belgium, the Caribbean, Spain, Portugal, and then the sailing of the Greek Isles, of which she treasured so many special memories.

You certainly cannot hold fond remembrances of Lois without thinking of what a wonderful cook and baker she was. From her cabbage soup, hard Christmas candy, pecan delights, ham loaves, Hungarian goulash, wonderful cakes and pies…….to the vast number of cut out sugar cookies that she showered on so many during holiday seasons……. she was always the center of many, many most yummy treats. She was also quite the wizard of the New York Times crossword puzzles, the daily Jumble, electronic Solitaire that she would play for hours, and jigsaw puzzles.

Since leaving her home in 1984, she was a treasured resident of Stoneridge Gracious Living Retirement in Cary, The Reserve at Mills Farm Assisted Living in Apex, and Fairfax Hills Senior Living in Raleigh. All along the way, she became the favorite of most every health provider and assistant, because of her kindness and cheerful spirit. Because of this, she benefited abundantly with such special care provided by such wonderful and loving providers. The family will forever be indebted to Melissa Boucher, Teresa Emmrich and Tika Johnson for their loving care provided in Cary and Apex. When she required skilled nursing care two years ago, God certainly answered prayers by blessing her with the most amazing care one could ever dream of at Fairfax Hills Senior Living, which was located just ½ mile from Natalie’s home. Lydia Becoat is a walking Angel of Mercy sent directly from Heaven above! The family cannot imagine how anyone else could have provided any extra care than Lydia and her team provided, especially in her final days. Much gratitude is extended to team members Linda, Shrita, Tracey, Lina, Nailah and Erin……………all such sweet, kind and loving angels!

To honor our loved one’s memory and celebrate her blessed and wonderful life, a Celebration of Life Service is planned for Saturday, March 16, 2024, at 11 a.m. at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary’s St., Raleigh, NC 27605. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service, with a private inurnment service to follow at Historic Oakwood Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be considered to the following organizations: The Light Collective, a Seattle-based organization that does incredible work in supporting families of pediatric cancer patients that granddaughters, Lauree and Kristy are deeply involved with and of which Lois was most proud of their work, at www.lightcollectivepnw.org, or Transitions LifeCare of Wake County, www.transitionslifecare.org, or to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of Raleigh, www.htelc.org.

Services provided by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC.