Lois Mary (Reith) Cole
April 09, 1931 - April 23, 2024
Visitation: Viewing will be at Devlin Funeral Home, 806 Perry Hwy on Friday, April 26, from 2-4 and 6-8 PM.
Service: Mass of Christian Burial Saturday 10 AM at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, St. Teresa of Avila Church
Lois Mary (Reith) Cole, 93, peacefully in her sleep, on April 23, 2024. Daughter of the late Joseph and Olivia Reith of Troy Hill. Wife to John Altman Cole, deceased. Beloved mother to Karen Kennedy (John), John Altman Cole Jr. (Karen), Timothy Joseph Cole (Karen Summers) and Gregory Paul Cole (deceased). Grandmother to Laura Allenbaugh (Josh), Elizabeth Cole Kodikara (Tim), Patricia Cole, Amber Steinmetz Cole (Jason Melvin), Dylan Cole and Emma Kennedy. Great Grandmother to Gregory Dylan Cole, Hunter Easton Cole, Ava June Cole, Violet Allenbaugh, Amara Cole Kodikara and Lovindu Cole Kodikara. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Lois Cole was a beloved, active participant in every phase of her life, from family to church to community. Lois was dedicated to her four children. She was smart, attractive, and confident, so it was no surprise that she wound up as a leader in every organization she joined. She had leadership positions in every school’s PTA, and was a prominent member of the North Hills Marching Band’s Instrumental Parents. After her son Greg’s accident, she became an outspoken member of the Spinal Cord Society, helping with fundraising and public awareness.
Lois loved to make things beautiful. The daughter of a union carpenter, she relished refinishing furniture and repurposing old things to make them new again. She took great pride in her home in North Hills Estates. She hung wallpaper, painted, and scouted out the perfect accent pieces in antique shops. When she moved in her 70’s to a condo at the Charlemagne, she continued her painting and wallpapering, making every square inch reflect her decorative flair.
She took part in St. Theresa Church’s musical productions, andsang in the church choir and the Resurrection Choir. When the church acquired a “new/old” pipe organ, she was thrilled to help to restore the console. Lois was familiar with every antique shop in Western Pennsylvania and the southern tier of New York, honing skills that she would later employ when running the “antique” department for the annual St. Theresa Flea Market. It was a running joke in her family to see how early in the year the word “flea” first came up. For Lois, the countless hours she spent there were fun, and her merchandising skills made her department a must-see for everyone. She was famous for her hats, gaudy jewelry, giant earrings, and name tags ranging from Sophia Loren to Julie Andrews.
She had a close set of friends, “the Golden Girls,” with whom she traveled to many exotic places. For several years, her family wondered why it took six women to babysit one five-pound Yorkie on the Isle of Palm while his owners were away. Closer to home, she enjoyed many summer evenings at the family cabin at Lake Erie, watching the sunsets and sipping a Manhattan next to a bonfire. When she could not travel much, she enjoyed watching Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and the evening news with Lester Holt and her beloved Anderson Cooper 360. Her children could not get enough of her potato pancakes. She estimated once that she had baked well over 200 angel food cakes to celebrate her children’s birthdays.
Always a diva, always beloved. She will be greatly missed.
Viewing will be at Devlin Funeral Home, 806 Perry Hwy on Friday, April 26, from 2-4 and 6-8. Mass of Christian Burial will be at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel St. Theresa Church, 800 Avila Ct. at 10:00 on Saturday, April 27.
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We are so very sorry for the passing of your Mother. May God comfort and bless you all.
Such a legendary personality, and a beautiful person, as she served humanity ….family, friends Church and God❤️ Well done thy good and faithful servant….we will always cherish you Lois….
Always.
I met Lois when we were all asked to sing for the good Sisters of the Holy Spirit for a fundraiser.
Beautiful lady!
My sincere condolences to her family.
Sending our sympathy on behalf of Sister Marita as well. She is not able to make it and ask me to extent her prayers.
Lois to me was who I want to be when I grow up. A grand dame! The most delightful charming lady ever. With her giant earring collection and her quick wit .. she charmed us all. The coolest Mom ever! She will be missed. Karen I’m so very sorry. But I’m also glad you had this incredible lady as your mom. God bless you all.
We send our love to all of you. How lucky were we to have lived next door to your family for so many years.She was like a mother to me and the inspiration for my gardening. She loved our children and always had “Hugs”in the fridge. She never met a stranger! We love her and thank you all for including us in her adventures.
Donna and I send our regrets and will miss her presence at the get-togethers. Sorry we can’t make the funeral.
To the Cole family, I am so sorry for your lost. Lois was a great friend to all. So sweet and knowledgeable. When my husband John died 1-1-2019 she offered to make for our 7 grandchildren a teddy bear using his plaid shirts. They came out beautiful and the grandkids are very thankful to have them. They call them Baba’s bears. My love and prayers to the Cole family. Hugs, Juana Kleck
Dear Cole Family,
Heidi and I are so sorry for your loss. Aunt Lois has been an icon for me and our family, especially in recent years, including all of the family reunions. I have been thinking about my most memorable times with Aunt Lois and what I will try to always remember from them. 1) It is important to honor your past; from the time Lois showed us the house and neighborhood that she grew up in. She shared vivid and meaningful stories that shaped her character. 2) Enjoy the present moment; Aunt Lois was always a positive, engaged, and forever youthful presence at the family reunions. She had a great talent for judging talent shows! 3) Serve others; A planned trip of mine to Pittsburgh coincided with Lois’ annual fund raiser sale. I learned from Greg and John how much effort she put into this project over the years and how meaningful it was for her community.
While Heidi and I will not be able to attend the upcoming services, know that we will be keeping memories of Aunt Lois in our hearts as well as the entire Cole family.
Love, Dan and Heidi
She was a class act. So sweet. God bless her and her family.