Lois F Okerstrom
A full life of 97 years came to a close on this earth for Lois Fisher Okerstrom (Olson) on April 15, 2024.
Lois saw her life as a MOSAIC, with God at the center, arranging all the pieces into the specific years and location they should be “In every one of my calls to varied venues and tasks. I experienced the guidance of God’s Spirit and loved each of the places and people I encountered in them.” Thus Lois Fisher Okerstrom (Olson) said often as she explained her “life verses” from Psalm 103:1-2. “Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”
Lois was born in the upstairs bedroom of her parent’s house in Topeka, Kansas on May 2, 1926. Her elementary and high school years were in Topeka. Though it was the ‘great depression’ when frills were few, in those early years there were lessons to be learned
of thrift and also joy. The experience of travel she inherited from her dad who made sure the family got a trip every summer, often to Colorado to avoid the heat and humidity of Kansas. Tent camping was common and rustic cabins cheap.
Then to Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, a small Swedish background town where she majored in English Literature. Lois recalls her years at Bethany as some of the most rewarding of her life and had maintained contact with many of her then teen charges over the years. It was here that she came to know Jesus Christ as a needed living Lord and Savior. Here she heard the beginnings of a call to overseas service. Upon graduation in 1948, she accepted a call to teach religious education in the public schools of Rockingham County, Virginia in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. These were two packed-full years of working with an eager group of youth blossoming into full faith.
Two years later a call from the other end of the country, to become the first youth director and parish worker at Bethany Lutheran Church in Berkeley, California.
By 1952 the urgings of “Africa calling” grew large and deep and soon impossible to avoid. Lois accepted a call from the global mission board of the Augustana Lutheran Church as a teacher in Tanganyika: youth work, adult literacy work involving preparing materials, training teachers, and supervising numerous small adult schools in remote areas of the Turu tribes, which consumed much of her interest and energy. Lois also taught in the school for missionary children. Her final work in the new Tanzania was in the more urban area of tourist mecca in the north as director of the Study Program for the wives of seminary students. Seeing shy young Tanzanian wives and mothers develop into women capable of leading others into Christian maturity was gratifying and gladdening.
Sandwiched in between the Tanzania years were three years in Ethiopia (1963-66) serving as publicity writer and secretary to the General Director of the newly established Christian radio station, Radio Voice of the Gospel, owned and operated by the Lutheran World Federation. Ethiopia and Addis Ababa with its monarchial government and ancient history and culture was a definite change from rural Tanzania. The radio station beamed out its programs in thirteen different languages targeting Africa, India and the Middle East until taken over at gunpoint by the new communist government.
Lois has always been a serious hiker. How serious? Well, she backpacked to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro (19,300 ft) in Tanzania and Mt Whitney (14,000 ft) in California! Lois was an avid reader. She was also an excellent writer and published two books: an autobiography, Mosaic, and Touched by the African Soul, a compilation of the stories of sixty-two women missionaries in Tanzania (one of which was written by Lyn Buchanan).
When asked what her most memorable and gratifying highlights were from a lifetime of rich experiences. Lois responded, “Seeing non-literate people learn to write and read God’s Word; seeing young, shy seminary student wives develop poise and confidence in their new roles; and thirdly, experience and appreciate a different culture and language.”
Lois returned to the United States in 1970 and married Roy Okerstrom in 1971 in Berkeley, California. This gave her a new family to know and love, stepdaughter Marianne Burns, and her two children, Steven and Deborah, and great-granddaughter, Lillie. Lois and Roy had a full and happy life together for 28 years, being very active in their churches in Richmond and Berkeley and volunteering with Meals on Wheels, and YEAH (Youth Emergency Assistance Hostel). Lois served as a congregational leader in Lutheran Church Women and was active in Church Women United. Both Lois and Roy enjoyed hiking, backpacking, and tent camping, often with CCHC (Contra Costa Hills Club) weekly. They conquered Mt. Whitney together. Roy’s health began to deteriorate in 1989 with Parkinson’s disease and he died a decade later, in July of 1999.
In March of 2002 Lois married Amel Olson. This union gave her an additional new family to know and love: stepdaughter Kristi and husband Lee Elmquist, grandson Ryan Tomko and wife Gina Garitson, and great-granddaughter Geneva Tomko. Together Amel and Lois were active in their two churches, traveled extensively and enjoyed hiking in God’s beautiful creation, often as members of the Contra Costa Hills Club. At Lutheran Church of the Cross in Berkeley Lois served on the Church Council, as a Sunday School teacher, chaired the Outreach Committee (missions and evangelism) , and the congregational unit of Lutheran Church Women. She enjoyed the fellowship of many women in the interdenominational Church Women United serving as president for one year and editing the newsletter. Together Lois and Amel also supported YEAH with overnight monitoring and food preparation at the Berkeley church.
Later at Holy Shepherd Lutheran in Orinda, she served as a lector, communion assistant and Chair of the Social Ministry Committee in support of three Tanzania-related projects. For several years both Amel and Lois had brief stints of volunteer service at a Christian orphanage and school, Rancho Santa Marta in Mexico.
In 2011 the couple moved to Santa Barbara, California, residing at the Samarkand retirement facility making many friends and enjoying the warmth and beauty of Santa Barbara. They joined First Presbyterian Church where Lois served as an elder and was a member of the Missions and Evangelism Committee. Amel died in March of 2015.
In her later years Lois enjoyed the fellowship of friends and neighbors at both Samarkand and First Presbyterian Church of Santa Barbara. Always active, Lois even traveled to Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS (Little Sweden, U.S.A.) in October 2019 to help set up a display in the college library museum, revamping cases with Tanzania and Ethiopian African artifacts from her missionary work. Lois was very active with Samarkand resident visitations in the health center under the Amazing Grays organization. She participated in the weekly Flower presentations at the Heritage Center. Lois brought joy and love to everyone she met even through her dementia. She was always smiling and eager to share her experiences of life and the love of Christ to all she met. A heartfelt gratitude goes out to the staff of Samarkand for their loving care during her final years and to all her friends who attended to her needs.
There will be a service of resurrection held at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Barbara 21 East Constance Street in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd on May 18, 2024 at 2PM.
Lois was born in the upstairs bedroom of her parent’s house in Topeka, Kansas on May 2, 1926. Her elementary and high school years were in Topeka. Though it was the ‘great depression’ when frills were few, in those early years there were lessons to be learned
of thrift and also joy. The experience of travel she inherited from her dad who made sure the family got a trip every summer, often to Colorado to avoid the heat and humidity of Kansas. Tent camping was common and rustic cabins cheap.
Then to Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, a small Swedish background town where she majored in English Literature. Lois recalls her years at Bethany as some of the most rewarding of her life and had maintained contact with many of her then teen charges over the years. It was here that she came to know Jesus Christ as a needed living Lord and Savior. Here she heard the beginnings of a call to overseas service. Upon graduation in 1948, she accepted a call to teach religious education in the public schools of Rockingham County, Virginia in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. These were two packed-full years of working with an eager group of youth blossoming into full faith.
Two years later a call from the other end of the country, to become the first youth director and parish worker at Bethany Lutheran Church in Berkeley, California.
By 1952 the urgings of “Africa calling” grew large and deep and soon impossible to avoid. Lois accepted a call from the global mission board of the Augustana Lutheran Church as a teacher in Tanganyika: youth work, adult literacy work involving preparing materials, training teachers, and supervising numerous small adult schools in remote areas of the Turu tribes, which consumed much of her interest and energy. Lois also taught in the school for missionary children. Her final work in the new Tanzania was in the more urban area of tourist mecca in the north as director of the Study Program for the wives of seminary students. Seeing shy young Tanzanian wives and mothers develop into women capable of leading others into Christian maturity was gratifying and gladdening.
Sandwiched in between the Tanzania years were three years in Ethiopia (1963-66) serving as publicity writer and secretary to the General Director of the newly established Christian radio station, Radio Voice of the Gospel, owned and operated by the Lutheran World Federation. Ethiopia and Addis Ababa with its monarchial government and ancient history and culture was a definite change from rural Tanzania. The radio station beamed out its programs in thirteen different languages targeting Africa, India and the Middle East until taken over at gunpoint by the new communist government.
Lois has always been a serious hiker. How serious? Well, she backpacked to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro (19,300 ft) in Tanzania and Mt Whitney (14,000 ft) in California! Lois was an avid reader. She was also an excellent writer and published two books: an autobiography, Mosaic, and Touched by the African Soul, a compilation of the stories of sixty-two women missionaries in Tanzania (one of which was written by Lyn Buchanan).
When asked what her most memorable and gratifying highlights were from a lifetime of rich experiences. Lois responded, “Seeing non-literate people learn to write and read God’s Word; seeing young, shy seminary student wives develop poise and confidence in their new roles; and thirdly, experience and appreciate a different culture and language.”
Lois returned to the United States in 1970 and married Roy Okerstrom in 1971 in Berkeley, California. This gave her a new family to know and love, stepdaughter Marianne Burns, and her two children, Steven and Deborah, and great-granddaughter, Lillie. Lois and Roy had a full and happy life together for 28 years, being very active in their churches in Richmond and Berkeley and volunteering with Meals on Wheels, and YEAH (Youth Emergency Assistance Hostel). Lois served as a congregational leader in Lutheran Church Women and was active in Church Women United. Both Lois and Roy enjoyed hiking, backpacking, and tent camping, often with CCHC (Contra Costa Hills Club) weekly. They conquered Mt. Whitney together. Roy’s health began to deteriorate in 1989 with Parkinson’s disease and he died a decade later, in July of 1999.
In March of 2002 Lois married Amel Olson. This union gave her an additional new family to know and love: stepdaughter Kristi and husband Lee Elmquist, grandson Ryan Tomko and wife Gina Garitson, and great-granddaughter Geneva Tomko. Together Amel and Lois were active in their two churches, traveled extensively and enjoyed hiking in God’s beautiful creation, often as members of the Contra Costa Hills Club. At Lutheran Church of the Cross in Berkeley Lois served on the Church Council, as a Sunday School teacher, chaired the Outreach Committee (missions and evangelism) , and the congregational unit of Lutheran Church Women. She enjoyed the fellowship of many women in the interdenominational Church Women United serving as president for one year and editing the newsletter. Together Lois and Amel also supported YEAH with overnight monitoring and food preparation at the Berkeley church.
Later at Holy Shepherd Lutheran in Orinda, she served as a lector, communion assistant and Chair of the Social Ministry Committee in support of three Tanzania-related projects. For several years both Amel and Lois had brief stints of volunteer service at a Christian orphanage and school, Rancho Santa Marta in Mexico.
In 2011 the couple moved to Santa Barbara, California, residing at the Samarkand retirement facility making many friends and enjoying the warmth and beauty of Santa Barbara. They joined First Presbyterian Church where Lois served as an elder and was a member of the Missions and Evangelism Committee. Amel died in March of 2015.
In her later years Lois enjoyed the fellowship of friends and neighbors at both Samarkand and First Presbyterian Church of Santa Barbara. Always active, Lois even traveled to Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS (Little Sweden, U.S.A.) in October 2019 to help set up a display in the college library museum, revamping cases with Tanzania and Ethiopian African artifacts from her missionary work. Lois was very active with Samarkand resident visitations in the health center under the Amazing Grays organization. She participated in the weekly Flower presentations at the Heritage Center. Lois brought joy and love to everyone she met even through her dementia. She was always smiling and eager to share her experiences of life and the love of Christ to all she met. A heartfelt gratitude goes out to the staff of Samarkand for their loving care during her final years and to all her friends who attended to her needs.
There will be a service of resurrection held at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Barbara 21 East Constance Street in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd on May 18, 2024 at 2PM.