Lois C. Ahrens Graney

Lois C. Ahrens Graney, of Fayetteville, passed away March 27, 2017, at the Willard Walker Hospice Home in Fayetteville after a brief but devastating illness. She was 73. She was born to Marie Deverman Ahrens and George Ahrens on May 6, 1943, in Lincoln, Ill., and grew up in Mount Pulaski, a central Illinois farming community. She was active in 4-H in junior high and high school and played clarinet in band. After high school, she worked at Lehn & Fink, a cosmetics manufacturer, in Lincoln. In 1965, she married Dave Graney, whom she met through her cousin, who was dating his best friend. They had two children, Dawn Denise and Pamela Suzanne, and lived in Harrison, Ark., then Blacksburg, Va., where Dave completed his Ph.D., before moving to Fayetteville in 1972. Lois was an intelligent woman who loved deeply and completely. She was encouraging, honest and fair in all that she did. She loved music and singing, jigsaw puzzles, watching ice skating and ice dancing, rollerskating, garage sales, spending summers on the lake in Michigan and sharing time with her family. She was very involved in her church throughout her life and was instrumental in establishing the choir at the new Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fayetteville. She was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband, Dave Graney, of the home; her daughters, Dawn Rollins of Fayetteville and Pamela Graney of Bella Vista; grandchildren Justin and Erika Rollins of Fayetteville; her sister, Jean Ahrens Crane, and husband Ronald of Illinois; her brother, Kenneth Ahrens, and wife Linda of Ohio; nieces Jamie Crane Taylor and Jodi Crane Aymer of Illinois and nephews Brian Schroeder of Texas and Dan Schroeder of Illinois; cousins Nancy Ahrens Robbins and Donald Ahrens of Illinois; and numerous friends and family members. Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday, April 7, 2017, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Fayetteville with Pastor Richard Solberg officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Condolences may be given online at www.nelsonberna.com.