Lois T. (Chartier) McComb

October 1, 1930  –  April 5, 2023

Lois McComb

Lois Therese (Chartier) McComb passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, at her home in Bellevue, WA at the age of 92. Lois was predeceased by her second husband Robert (Bob) McComb, her first husband, Jerome (Jerry) O’Brien, son Mark O’Brien, daughter Nancy Anduza, and two stepsons, Ronald McComb and Roger McComb. She is survived by her children Kathleen Schaub (Bill), Patricia Davies (Tim), Mary Farrior (Jay), Joseph O’Brien (Karen), and Suzanne Pfeiffer (Dave), stepdaughter, Renee McComb, 12 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren.

Lois was born and raised in Sioux City, IA as the beloved only child of Aurore (Crepeau) and Leo Chartier. She loved her large extended family and their French-Canadian heritage, enjoying summers with her paternal grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins as well as travels to Massachusetts for lobster dinners with her maternal grandparents. Lois attended Cathedral High School in Sioux City and worked in that city as a dental hygienist after graduating from Marquette University in WI. She met her first husband, Jerry, in the singles group at St. Boniface Catholic Church, and in 1956 they moved to California, raising their seven children in Oakland and Walnut Creek.

Lois loved being a mom and ran a lively home. She was talented with her hands, made creative crafts, knitted, and sewed clothes for herself and her family. Lois loved music and games. She played the piano, sang in choirs whenever she could and taught her kids to sing in multi-part harmony.  Lois was an avid reader and after the kids were grown, rarely missed the morning crossword puzzle.

A sparky extrovert with a wonderful sense of humor, Lois enjoyed socializing. From college buddies, prank-loving bridge club partners who were like sisters, coffee-drinking neighbors who loved to party and chat, co-workers, fellow choir members, to the assisted-living residents and caregivers she met in later life, and of course, her large family, Lois made up for being an only-child by filling her life with many treasured friendships.

Her kids recall how organized she was, a trait that served her well when in her 40’s Lois returned to the work world as a paralegal after receiving her training at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, CA. She served on high-profile medical malpractice suits in prestigious law firms including Pillsbury, Madison, & Sutro. Lois was respected for inventing sophisticated filing and retrieval systems for massive case documentation in the days before wide-spread computer use.

In 1978, Lois married Bob, her best friend, whom she met in a church choir. Throughout their lives together, they shared their love of music and family. As they moved for Bob’s work, the McCombs lived in several places including Lake Oswego, OR, and La Jolla, Rancho Cucamonga, and Concord CA. They returned to Tigard, Oregon in 2000 after both had retired. When Bob passed away too quickly in 2003, Lois remained in Oregon, staying active with church, choir, and volunteering until she moved to the Bellevue WA area in 2010 to be near her daughter, Patricia. Later, Lois moved to the Gardens at Juanita Bay assisted living home and then to her final home in a loving board and care home in Bellevue.

Lois’s ashes will be scattered in the ocean off the California coast. A small family Celebration of Life is planned for later in the year.