Granting her only wish of the past several months, on the afternoon of Wednesday, December 9, 2020, Jesus gently escorted Lois Britt House quietly and peacefully to her eternal Home. She is once again whole, healthy, and vibrant, and at long last reunited with the love of her life. Lois left this earth as she had lived her 84 years on it, with beauty, grace, dignity, and an unshakeable faith in God and His perfect love.
Lois Britt took her first breath on February 10, 1936 in Montgomery County, North Carolina, the fifth child of Andy and Hazel Thompson Britt. She spent her childhood in rural coastal North Carolina, learning early the value of hard work and was always up for an outdoor adventure. An excellent student, Lois loved school and graduated near the top of the Jones Central High School Class of 1954. Her beauty was classic and legendary, and even in later years she was remembered as “the prettiest girl in Jones County.”
In the summer of 1953, God brought a handsome young Marine her way, and on January 8, 1955, Lois married Aubrey “Bud” House. They began their life together in a small apartment in Hagerstown, Indiana and soon moved into a farmhouse on the County Line Road, where they provided their four children a wonderful country childhood and lived out the remainder of their 60 married years. Besides her cherished role as homemaker, Lois also enjoyed driving a school bus route for Nettle Creek School Corporation for many years.
More than anything, Lois loved her family and truly enjoyed making her home a happy haven. Lois was an excellent cook and will always be remembered for her daily pan of homemade biscuits as well as delicious yeast rolls and scrumptious desserts. She was a master seamstress, sewing most of her children’s wardrobes, as well as Bud’s shirts and her own clothing. Lois shared her many creative talents beyond clothes as well, more than once crafting curtains and draperies for her church and using her gifts to help others. Creating gorgeous hand-stitched quilts gave her tremendous joy, and Lois made dozens over the years as cherished heirloom gifts for those she loved.
Lois lived life with joy and her smile lit up the room. She leaves behind a legacy of love, faith, and service to God and to all who were blessed to know her. While her passing leaves a huge void on earth, Lois has received the best Christmas gift ever as she is spending Christmas in paradise with her beloved Bud.
Left behind to cherish her memory are 4 children: Terry Gray (Kim) of Middletown, Barb Fox (John) of Bloomington, Maria Langford of Fanning Springs, FL, and Mark House (Alli) of New Braunfels, TX. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, as well as dozens of nieces, nephews, and dear friends. Also surviving are 3 sisters, Shirley Bell of Pollocksville, NC, Bernice Price (Perry) of Mt. Gilead, NC, and Loretta Smith (Johnny) of Biscoe, NC, as well as 4 brothers, Earl Britt of Mt. Gilead, NC, Larry Britt (Jane) of Salisbury, NC, Eugene Britt (Violet) of Troy, NC, and Jeffrey Britt of Albemarle, NC.
In addition to her parents, Lois was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Bud House, in June 2015, 2 sisters, Ruth Wade and Rachel Morton, and 2 siblings who died in infancy.
Services will be held on Thursday, December 17, 2020 at White Branch Church of the Brethren, with visitation at 11 am. and the funeral at noon, with Pastor Brian Mackie officiating. Burial will follow at the Brick Cemetery in Hagerstown.
The family suggests that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to Lois’s church home, White Branch Church of the Brethren, 2044 N County Road 900 E, Hagerstown, IN 47346.