Lois Douglas

Lois smiled all the time.  She was happy because she loved people and liked helping them.  She lived the adage it takes a village and wilingly did whatever it took to help a villager.  At St.Paul's, she was known for her care and support of students, especially those needing a haircut or necktie to avoid dress code demerits. She even provided typewriters to boys learning to type so that they could use a school computer. Helping was natural for Lois because she lived through tough times of the Great Depression, World War II and polio epidemic during her family record of 94 years.

Lois was born in rural North Carolina in 1928. A  few years later her family moved to Catonsville, Maryland, where her father worked to build the Route 40 bridge over the Patpsco River.

At Catonsville high school she played field hockey, basketball, and softball on some county championship teams with her sister Helen.  Lois then attended secretarial school where she became a proficient typist, and worked for several Baltimore firms. She married Ray Douglas in 1947, and  had four sons.  

She started working for free at St. Paul's School to cover tuition for her sons; this later morphed into a paying 30-year career. She was the eyes and ears for three headmasters as their administrative assistant, staff to the Upper School faculty and typing teacher for scores of boys anxious to use the newly introduced computers. When  she retired. Lois organized reunions for the Catonsville Class of 1945 for next 20 years. She also enjoyed taking crafts classes with friends, traveling to Europe and Hawaii with family, annual trips to Florida with her friend Hottie, often visiting “Grandpop” in Sarasota, and with Helen and her husband to her mother Bubba’s  tobacco and hog farm in Deep Run, N.C, just outside Pink Hill.  Her favorite travel destination, however, was Ocean City Maryland for the annual  friends and family week, involving crabs, beer, a turkey dinner, Dumsers ice cream, and lots of laughter. In 2006  Lois moved to the Charlestown Retirement community where she lived until her passing.

She was loving and devoted to 4 grandchildren and a caring mom to many dogs.

Lois lived through the passing of her husband when she was 52, and then the passing of three sons and her sister Helen. She is survived by one son, Bob (wife Candace Chandler), their children Courtney and Laura (husband Chase Olivieri), daughter-in-law Eileen Pumphrey (husband Bob Pumphrey), grandchildren Joe Koullas (wife Sandy Koullas), Katie Rosa (husband Kyle Rosa), and great-grandchildren Sam Koullas, Dennis Koullas, and Tucker Rosa. . She is predeceased by her husband of 34 years Raymond, three sons Jeffrey, Ray and Paul, and her sister Helen.  A memorial service is planned for March 18, 2023 at St. Paul's School.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday December 17, 2022, at 11 AM at Woodlawn Cemetery 2130 Woodlawn Drive Baltimore, Maryland 21207.