The funeral for Lois McDonald will be held at Trinity on Sat., July 20th. The visitation will begin at 9:30 until the time of service at 11:00. After the committal at the island cemetery, lunch will be held at the fellowship hall for time with family and friends.
* Gifts of side dishes, salads, and desserts will be welcomed. If you can help in the kitchen, please contact the church office, or call Linda Taylor at 920.847.2720.
Lois McDonald (nee Jessen) passed away on July 12, 2025, in Green Bay, WI, at Woodside Villa’s memory care center; she was 89 years of age. Lois was born in Chicago, IL, on December 8, 1935, where her parents, Clara and John Jessen lived while John sailed on the Great Lakes. In 1939, the family returned to Washington Island “the Island” where her dad was raised and her parents first met.
Lois attended Island schools and graduated high school as valedictorian of her relatively large class of ten students in 1953. Upon graduation, Lois attended UW – Stout. After two years of college, she married Leland “Lee” McDonald, also of Washington Island, on September 17, 1955, at Trinity Lutheran Church. The couple moved to Kenosha, WI, where they would reside for 44 years. Much of their summertime was spent on the Island where they shared duties operating the family’s housekeeping cottages.
She and Lee raised four children in Kenosha: Kevin, Brian, Dennis, and Scott. Lois loved her family and viewed partnering with her husband and guiding her children as her primary calling. She helped her four sons to navigate their earliest years and into adulthood; when one would go afoul, her love and investment in her boys always shined through to put them on better paths.
Shortly after their youngest child was born, Lois returned to college and graduated from UW – Parkside in 1972, to become a teacher. Lois would teach at Southport Elementary School in Kenosha for 23 years, retiring in 1995. She excelled at teaching and very much enjoyed the profession. Also, Lois enjoyed her “bridge club” friends and was a faithful and active member of St. Mary’s Lutheran Church in Kenosha.
A few years after Lois’ retirement, Lois and Lee returned to live on Washington Island in 1999. Upon moving back to the Island, Lois rejoined Trinty Lutheran Church, where she had been baptized and confirmed. She joined the Women’s Club, supported Lions Club, American Legion events, and enjoyed being a stage crew member to the Island Players. Lois’ husband, Lee, developed health-related problems shortly after their move back home, so Lois became a primary caregiver which demanded much of her time. In the years following her husband’s death, Lois’ own health deteriorated, and she became increasingly dependent on members of her special Island community. There are countless people who aided Lois’ ability to live in her home: from WICHP volunteers to transporters of her trash; lawn and snow-plowing services; passersby who might notice something amiss would check-in on her; and devoted people who picked her up for Sunday church services, Wednesday soup dinners, Red Barn or TPAC performances, and so much more.
Lois had many caregivers and helpers to whom her family is forever grateful. Without these special people, she could not have lived in her Island home as long as she did. Special mention must include: Brenda Cornell, Julie Anderson, Danelle Nickchen, Susan Wacaser, Billie Trueblood, Melanie Miller, Stacy and Jim Carson, Eileen Cornell, Jim Morris, Josh Mann, Ed and Carol O’Neil, and the Jeff and Paula McDonald family. Also, we are thankful for the care and kindness of the team at Woodside Senior Communities and Heartland Hospice. Of final mention, Lois’ beloved sister and brother-in-law, Betty and Leon Shellswick, who ensured her inclusion in family activities, and served as emergency contacts - in real and false alarms.
Surviving Lois are her four sons: Kevin, Brian (Mary Beth), Dennis (Lisa), and Scott (Sara) McDonald; her two beloved sisters, Betty (Leon) Shellswick and Joanne (Dan Brandel) Jessen; her grandchildren, Kelly (Andrew) Savage, Emily (Joseph Gallo), Maggie (Jaime Lopez Rivarola), Matthew, Catherine, Nathan, Grace (Cole Milton), Clara, John and Annelise McDonald; great grandchild, Liliana; and several nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews.
Close family members preceding Lois in death, include her husband of 61 years, Leland McDonald; her parents, Clara and John Jessen; her parents-in-law, Marie and Dennis McDonald; and sisters- and brothers-in-law, Charles and Jeannette McDonald, Evelyn (nee McDonald) and Walter Swiger, and Edward Weiner.
A visitation will be held at the Island’s Trinity Lutheran Church on Saturday, July 19, 2025, 9:30 a.m. until 10:45 a.m., with a funeral service to follow at 11 a.m. For those wishing to join, a brief cemetery service will be held promptly after the funeral. In lieu of flowers, donations to Trinity Lutheran Church (www.trinitylutheran-wi.com) or the Washington Island Community Health Program (WICHP) (www.mywichp.org) are suggested.
Casperson Funeral Home of Sister Bay is assisting the McDonald family. Expressions of sympathy, memories, and photos of Lois may be shared with family through her tribute page at www.caspersonfuneralhome.com.
