GREENWOOD
Lois Jean Gradeless Webb, age 87, had a wonderful life because she cared about others – her parents, her eight brothers and sisters, her husband of 49 years, her five children and their spouses, her 29 grandchildren and great-grandchildren and their spouses, and her friends, as numerous as leaves in a Hoosier forest.
She was a very lucky woman. She said so herself, often, with the great passion for which she was known. She passed away quietly at home in her own bed on the morning of Friday, December 22, the birth date of a great-granddaughter named after her.
Lois was born on the pan-flat farmland in northern Indiana outside Columbia City in 1930. Her youth in the Depression was a time filled with love and meaningful sacrifice in her family’s battle for survival. Through it all, the ten of them stuck together as they did for the rest of their lives.
In 1949, Lois enrolled at Ball State Teachers College where she met Lee Webb. For the next 50 years, they built an incredible, admirable life. They believed in the same things: love, hard work, family, adventure and laughter.
They were Indiana people, but they wanted to see the entire world. They lived for a while in France, then Germany. After Lee’s retirement as Superintendent of Center Grove Schools, they lived in Egypt, then Singapore. They always came back home to Indiana: Zionsville, then Richmond, and finally Greenwood.
Above all, Lois was a mother who was always there for her kids, and a sister who was there for her three sisters. There really wasn’t much she wouldn’t do if she felt it would help them. None of them ever doubted her love for an instant.
Lois was preceded in death by her parents, Elmer and Ruth Gradeless; her brothers, Thorrald, Ralph, Earl and Lawrence Gradeless; sister, Thelma Davila; and husband E. Lee Webb (1999).
She is survived by sisters, Margaret Thomas and Lucille Leffel; her five children, Eric (Sheri), Gary (Ella), Kristina Fisher (Steve), Marc (Pamela) and Scott (Veronica).
A gathering of friends and family and a short memorial service will be held starting at 1 p.m. Friday, December 29th, at the Carefree North Clubhouse, 1202 Leisure Lane, Greenwood, IN 46142. (Lois lived in the Carefree North housing development since 1975.)
In lieu of sending flowers, please consider donating to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) for cancer research, at the service, or online at:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/in/t2c18/gwebbc, or with a check made out to LLS and sent to Gary Webb, 4050 Lucky Lane, Greenwood, IN 46142.
All arrangements are entrusted to Wilson St. Pierre Funeral Service and Crematory, Greenwood, Chapel.
