Lois Lee (Davis) DeWester Hammond

Lois Lee (Davis) DeWester Hammond, 91, passed away peacefully at home in Greenwood, Indiana on October 30, 2023. She was born in Paris, Indiana, on November 2, 1931, to Robert and Edith (Hartwell) Davis. She spent her childhood on or near the family farm; growing up with her brothers surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Lois first came to the big city of Indianapolis at age 16 for a summer job, staying with her Great Aunt Dora and working at the Bemis Bag Company. She returned to Indianapolis for good at the age of 17 after graduating from Paris Crossing High School in 1949 where she had been a proud Pirate cheerleader.  She began working at J.R Holcomb Company and later worked for Ransburg Corporation. 

Along the way, she met the love of her life, Gerald DeWester, through her friend and roommate Norma Knarzer.  When they met, he was in the National Guard and attending Butler University.  Gerald and Lois were married June 20, 1953.  In 1960, Gerald completed medical school and began his practice in general medicine on the southside of Indianapolis where he practiced for 49 years. After his death, Lois later married a life-long family friend, Reverend Robert Hammond.  They were happily married until his death in 2017.

Lois was a devoted wife and helpmate, wonderful homemaker, and loving mother to her 5 children.  She was known for putting the needs of others above herself.  She was the true Proverbs 31 woman who led by example through her work ethic, modesty, humility, servant’s heart and strong Christian faith.  Her love for her family extended to grandchildren, nieces and nephews, neighbors, and her community.  Her strong relationship with Jesus Christ provided the foundation for the faith journey of many of her family members. 

She and her late husband Gerald were active members of Garfield Park Baptist Church for over 50 years where she served in the Nursery Ministry and the Missionary Society.  Later she and Robert were members of First Baptist Church of Greenwood until their deaths.

Although her family kept her very busy, she was a lifelong learner and took courses in Spanish, Medical Terminology, Computer Literacy, Dorothy Carnegie Personal Development for Women, Cake Decorating, and even a Chinese Cooking class! 

Lois also volunteered in numerous organizations such as Women in Neighborhood Service, GOP political campaigns, PTA, Meals on Wheels, Indianapolis City Center, and the St. Francis Women’s Auxiliary.

Lois had a love of history, reading, playing cards, and enjoyed traveling into her 90s.  With her husband, Gerald and their children, she joined the Spanish American Club of Indianapolis to gain exposure to Spanish culture and improve fluency of the language, preparing them for trips to Mexico and Spain.  She also enjoyed many other trips both nationally and internationally, including trips to Alaska, England, Scotland, Sweden, Russia, Estonia, and Germany among many others.

Lois always strived to be healthy and physically fit. She even played tennis in a league at Racquets Four. Her children have fond memories of her working out to her Jack LaLanne exercise records. She was also a part of a bowling league for which she was proud to have earned the boobie prize trophy! 

Lois was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Gerald DeWester, husband Robert Hammond, and brother Robert (Buddy) Davis.  She is survived by her brothers Russell and Jimmy Davis, her five children Shelli (Russell) Wilson, Sheree Koester, Jeff (Cindy) DeWester, Linda Brown, and Jennifer (Nick) Pryor.  In addition, she is survived by 19 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild.

Services will be held at Gray Road Baptist Church, 5500 Gray Road, Indianapolis. Visitation will be on Friday, November 10th, from 4 pm to 8 pm.  Additional visitation on Saturday, November 11th from 10 am – 11 am.  The funeral service will begin at 11:00 am followed by a graveside service. Online condolences and words of comfort maybe offered to the family at www.singletonmortuary.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lois Lee (Davis) DeWester Hammond, please visit our floral store.