Lois Wilkes Obituary

Wilkes, Lois H.

Charleston, WV: Born November 2, 1918, died August 6, 2013. Born and raised in Missouri, Lois was the daughter and sister of Baptist ministers. She earned a B.A. degree in English (1939) from William Jewell College in Liberty, MO, and did graduate work in English at the University of Missouri. She met John J. "Jack" Wilkes at William Jewell and they married in 1941. After his graduation, they moved to NY where Jack earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Colgate Rochester Divinity School. Lois taught school in Rochester for 2 years. During her husband's ministerial career, they served together in pastorates at five churches in four states (NY, OH, MA, and WV).

In November 1960, they moved to Charleston, WV from the Boston area, when Jack became senior minister at Charleston Baptist Temple. When their first child went to college, Lois returned to teaching; she taught 8th grade English at John Adams Jr. High from 1962-1973. In June 1973, Jack accepted the pulpit at Lake Avenue Baptist Church and they returned to Rochester, NY. There, Lois became Executive Assistant of the Monroe Association of Baptist Churches.

In all the churches where they served, Lois was actively involved in the life of the congregation, teaching and leading circles, and working with American Baptist missions' efforts.

Lois and Jack raised three children. The eldest is Dr. Virginia "Ginny" Blair, living in Black Mountain, NC. James "Jim" Wilkes lived in Charleston most of his life and currently resides in Cincinnati, OH. Jonathan "Jon" Wilkes lives with his wife and daughter in Jersey City, NJ. Lois had five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Jack Wilkes died in 1979 while they were living in Rochester, NY. In 1995 Lois retired and returned to Charleston to live near Jim and his family. Lois was one of the first residents to move into the newly-built Edgewood Summit in 1995.

For the last two years she has been cared for with love and professionalism by the staff at River of Life Personal Care Home in Elkview, WV.

The family requests that those wishing to memorialize Lois donate to the Alzheimer's Association Research Center https://www.alz.org/research/overview.asp to further research into Alzheimer's and related dementias. A memorial service is planned for November 9, 2013 in Charleston.