Lois Elaine Nath, age 80, of Luverne, Minnesota, died peacefully on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at the Sanford Luverne Hospital.
Visitation will be Thursday, May 2, from 4-8 p.m., with a prayer service at 7:45 p.m., at Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne. Funeral service will be Friday, May 3, at 10:30 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church in Hardwick, Minnesota. Burial will follow at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne.
Memorials may be directed to Zion Lutheran Church in Hardwick or the Luverne Dollars for Scholars Program.
Arrangements are under the care of Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne. To view Lois’s LifeTribute view or sign an online registry, please visit www.hartquistfuneral.com.
Lois Elaine Nath was born on January 12, 1944, to Albert and Anna (Meyer) Ossenfort in Boyden, Iowa. She was the fifth of 15 children, and it became a very busy household throughout the years as many more children were born. As Lois got older, she helped with many of the household chores and cared for the younger children to help out her mom.
She was baptized in Boyden, Iowa and later confirmed at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne, Minnesota. Lois graduated from Luverne High School in 1962 and had met the love of her life in 1961, while working at the local outdoor roller rink.
On June 8, 1963, Lois was united in marriage to Norman Nath at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. The couple made their first home in Luverne and later moved to an acreage near Hardwick, Minnesota, in 1973. They were blessed with two children, Mike and Lisa.
Through the years, Norm and Lois planted large gardens, and the whole family worked together to maintain and harvest the produce.
They also had many daylong fishing trips to lakes in the area because the children loved to fish. Lois would prepare baked chicken for lunch, which was a family favorite, so they could eat lunch and fish at the same time so they wouldn’t risk losing the catch of the day.
Lois was also very active in helping plan, organize, host and prepare food for family reunions and siblings’ weddings as there were many mouths to feed. She loved to cook and bake and was well-known for her banana bread, which was a family favorite. She was even featured in the Star Herald as the best cook around, according to her nephew Aaron, who submitted some of his favorite recipes of hers.
Lois always had an open heart and home, especially for several siblings, who were going through struggles or hardships in their lives. She even invited them to live with her and Norm as long as they needed, during their difficult times.
Lois even had her own battle to fight when she was diagnosed with leukemia in 1993, which led to a bone marrow transplant in 1995. She went into remission and lived a very healthy life.
Through the years, Lois worked as a nurse assistant at the Luverne Hospital and Mary Jane Brown Home, A.R. Wood manufacturing until its closing, Fey Industries until January 1995, and then was an administrative professional at Engebretson-Hartquist Funeral Home from November 1995 to January 2012. She possessed a heart filled with compassion and a special gift of connecting with people during the most difficult time of losing a loved one. She enjoyed getting to know numerous families and developing those relationships in the area over time.
She was known as her family’s historian since she was able to provide answers for siblings who had questions about their past.
In 2000 Norm and Lois moved into Luverne to enjoy more of a low-maintenance household and perks of the city life into their retirement years. They proudly and recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2023.
Lois was a faithful member of Zion Lutheran Church in Hardwick where she taught Sunday school when the children were young and was a youth adviser when the children were in youth group. She also served as the church custodian for a handful of years.
She enjoyed camping with family and friends, baking for family and friends, and flower gardening. She especially enjoyed time spent with her family and grandchildren and meeting her great-granddaughter two times in the past two months.
Over the last five months, Lois’ health started to decline after having a second mild stroke and other health ailments. On Sunday, April 28, 2024, she passed away at the Sanford Hospital in Luverne surrounded by her faithful, loving family at the age of 80 years, three months and 16 days.
Lois is lovingly remembered by her husband of 60 years, Norm; two children, Michael (Angie) Nath of Littleton, Colorado, and Lisa (Toby) Vos of Luverne; four grandchildren, Breanna, Lane, Ryan, and Brooke; one great-grandchild, Rylan; two brothers, Donald (Barbara) Ossenfort of Rapid City, South Dakota, and Rodger (Diane) Ossenfort of Luverne; six sisters, Carol Oltmans of Apple Valley, Minnesota, Alice Hansen of Hardwick, Linda (Gene) Molden of St. Cloud, Minnesota, Debbie Gehrke Luverne, Brenda (Keith) Staeffler of Valley Springs, South Dakota, and Kathy (Keith) Scholten of Brandon, South Dakota; sister-in-law Marcia Ossenfort of Luverne; many nieces and nephews; and a host of many friends and acquaintances.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Albert and Anna Ossenfort; two sisters, Marlene (Lyle) Lundgren, and Judy Reis; four brothers, Loren (Grace) Ossenfort, David (Linda) Ossenfort, Larry Ossenfort, and Dennis (Diane) Ossenfort; and three brothers-in-law, Virgil Oltmans, Ron Hansen and Roger Gehrke.