Lois Elaine Poppe

Lois Elaine Poppe, 83, passed away on Monday, December 21 at the Bryan West Hospital in Lincoln Nebraska. Born October 15, 1937 in Fairbury, Nebraska. She grew up on a farm near Harbine, Nebraska. She graduated from Fairbury High School and took education classes at Fairbury College. She married her lifelong partner, Gerald Poppe, on August 10, 1958.

Lois’ love and care for her family was the central part of her life. Her second love was for children and their education. She taught four years in rural one-room schoolhouses near Harbine, Nebraska and Hallam, Nebraska. She was director/teacher of her private pre-school (Little Red Bell Pre-school) for 25 years. The CDA National Credentialing Program certified her as a Child Development Associate in 1982. She was “Child Development Specialist” for the Family Resource Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. She was the first Director of Lincoln Literacy for ten years and taught adult education classes at Southeast Community College from 1987 to 2020.

Lois dedicated much of her life to education. At her church she was church School Superintendent, Vacation Church School Director, Christian Education Board Member and Chair, Junior Diaconate sponsor, and Elementary Youth Fellowship Leader. Along with her husband, Gerald, she did Disaster Child Care with the Red Cross at various locations and in New York City after 911.

She was Educators of Young Children local and state officer, Campfire leader, PTA officer and board member, 4-H Leader, Lincoln/Lancaster County League of Women Voters Child Care Committee Chair, Nebraska League of Women Voters Child Care Chair. She was also President of both the Lincoln/Lancaster County League of Women Voters and Nebraska State League of Women Voters.

She was a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and The Nebraska Writers Guild. A Member of Nebraska and American Mothers Associations (Nebraska Mother of the Year in 1996).

She (and her husband) have been an Usher and Aisle Manager at the Lied Center for Performing Arts in Lincoln since it’s initial season. She volunteered taking personal crisis calls for many years with the Personal Crisis Line. She and her husband have also been involved with the local Ten Thousand Villages shop since 1983.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Alfred and Mary (Allpress) Schnuelle and survived by her husband of 62 years Gerald Poppe, her children, Debbie (Charlie) Schroeder, Dean (Donna) Poppe, and Darcie Olsen and her grandchild Luke (Katie) Poppe. She is also survived by her two sisters, Carol (Jim) Barber of Fairbury, Nebraska and Jan Schnuelle of Lincoln, Nebraska.

A family graveside service will be held with a celebration of life to be held on Sunday July 25th, 2021 at 4:00 pm at Eastridge Presbyterian Church, 1135 Eastridge Drive, Lincoln, NE 68510. Memorials may be given in her name to Lincoln Literacy or Eastridge Presbyterian Church.