Lois Roberta MacDonald, née Stevenson, was born August 25, 1924, in Sydney, Nova Scotia. She passed away peacefully on February 14, 2019, in Redwood City, California, at the age of 94. Lois was predeceased by her loving husband of 58 years, Alexander Daniel MacDonald in 2005; her parents, Robert ‘R.P.’ and Maude (Stevens) Stevenson; and her son-in-law, Dick Oglesbee.
Lois graduated from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia with a B.Sc. where she received the Governor General’s Metal. She happily joined the long line of people dancing down the streets of Wolfville, NS at the end of World War II. She took first year medicine at Dalhousie University, where she was one of two women in the class. During her time at Acadia University, Lois had met her future husband Alex, a student at Dalhousie, through his younger brother.
Lois and Alex were married in 1946. Together, they raised four children in starting in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They lived for a time in Cambridge, Mass. where Alex earned his PhD. Ultimately they moved to the Bay Area of California, where Lois assisted in the math lab of the local elementary school for many years. She enjoyed singing, square dancing, folk dancing and playing her piano.
When Lois and Alex were in Cambridge, they began attending the Friends Meeting at Cambridge and soon became members. On their return to Halifax, they determined that was no Meeting in Halifax, so Lois and Alex began a small worship group there, which first met in their home, moved to the YMCA, then to the Grammar School. Eventually, the Meeting became established and bought their own Meetinghouse. Today the Halifax Meeting is thriving and healthy and has established two worship groups. When Lois and Alex moved to California, they transferred their membership to Palo Alto Friends Meeting and both became active in the Meeting. Lois served as a representative to the Palo Alto Urban Ministry organization. She was also very involved in the Meeting Nursery School, library, and Harvest Festival committees. Lois made many jams and jellies for the Festival and helped out when it was at Hidden Villa. She and Alex provided the materials for and led a Bible and Jesus study group which met at the home of Stratton and Maureen Jaquette. The group met periodically for weekly sessions about two months in duration over a period of several years in the early 1980’s. These sessions were always enlightening and much appreciated by all those who attended.
Lois is survived by sister, Jean Bowman; brother, Elbert ‘Stevie’ Stevenson (Marjorie); daughters, Muriel Oglesbee and Susan MacDonald; sons, Robert MacDonald (Wendy) and Daniel MacDonald (Laura); grandsons, Alexander Willey (Kim), Andrew Willey (Joelle), Robert Willey and Alexander MacDonald; great-grandchildren, Claireissa, Jeremy and Maximus; many nieces and nephews. She will be remembered as a dignified, caring and faithful member of the Meeting. She was much loved and will be greatly missed.
