Lois has lived in her Bothell home for about 56 years. She and her husband moved from the Midwest when he accepted a position as a professor at the University of Washington. Adjusting to the climate was difficult at first, but she eventually grew to love it. Lois worked in education after moving, teaching first and sixth grades, serving as a reading specialist, and later working in the central office on testing and research.
In retirement, Lois spends time organizing and enjoys monthly lunches with her husband’s former students, which she describes as the highlight of her month. Living in Bothell, she values her community because her neighbors look out for her. She once stayed with a neighbor during a power outage so she wouldn’t be alone at home.
At ninety and widowed, Lois has difficulty walking up and down her front steps. In order to leave her home without assistance, she needed to exit through her garage. She explains, “There’s no way I could get down the stairs because Jack was gone and he always held my hand to take me down the stairs.”
The Habitat SKKC repair team installed a railing and gave Lois newfound independence. The team also installed a lever in her bathtub because her hands couldn’t turn the knobs tightly enough. They also added a creative feature so she didn’t have to stoop down to tend her flowers: a flower box that extended from her stairs into the yard, making it easy for her to work at waist level. Her husband, who passed away a year and a half ago, loved red geraniums, so she continues the tradition of planting them in the yard.
Lois learned about Habitat’s repair program through fire department volunteers who visited after her husband had several hospital stays. They referred her to Habitat because of her needs.
Lois appreciates the repair team for being skilled, kind, and considerate, noting that they always arrived smiling and ready to work.
Lois says gratefully of the work done on her home, “It’s life changing. I appreciate it so much. It gave me back my humanity.”