Lois Flanders
Lois N. Flanders, age 79, peacefully passed away after an eight-year struggle with Alzheimer's Disease.
Lois was born in 1946, to Lucille and Stan Ostrander, raised and married In Chicago's Ashburn neighborhood.
She graduated from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana in 1968, and in the process met and married the love of her life Tom Flanders, whose family had been seasonal residents on Big Fork Lake for 100 years.
Lois was preceded in death by her parents, Lucille and Stan Ostrander.
She is survived by her two brothers, Tom and Paul; and their spouses, Karen and Barb. Also, numerous nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews all of whom have spent some time on Big Fork.
The same year she graduated, Lois married Tom while he was on two-week leave from the Army and they honeymooned in the family "Log Cabin across the road." Since the cabin had not been opened for the season yet, this turned out to be the first test of her marriage: no electricity, no water, no propane, and all the shutters still on. Lois, a city girl all her life, passed enthusiastically, even accepting the outdoor facility until the water was turned on.
Lois and Tom were married for 57 years and always, until her last years, spent time with family in the Northwoods on Big Fork: 30 years in the Cabin and the rest in the family Lake Place which they re-built following Lois's design; Lois's only non-negotiable was adding a screen porch facing the lake.
Lois loved cooking and entertaining at the Lake Place, especially around the long ten-foot table made for the central area of the house and pot-luck gatherings on the driveway. Lois enjoyed boating, fishing, sailing, walking, hiking, feeding the chipmunks and hummingbirds, reading, puzzles, and the Big Fork/Four Mile neighborhood. Lois and Tom never had a television In the Northwoods.
Lois's smile, generosity, loyalty, and welcoming nature will be missed by all who knew her.
A memorial service was held Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at Salerno's Rosedale Chapels, 450 W. Lake St., Roselle, IL 60172.
To leave online condolences visit www.salernofuneralhomes.com
