Lois Bastian

Lois Ella Bastian, 92, of Indianapolis, Indiana, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.

Lois was born on November 7, 1932, in Douglas County, Illinois farmhouse to Lewis Edgar and Mary Alice (Tackett) Vermillion. She was the fourth of five daughters. She enjoyed learning through 8^th grade from a beloved teacher in a one room schoolhouse and spending time singing and having fun with her sisters and parents. As a 1951 graduate of Pekin High School, Lois sang with the Melody Maids, starred as lead in many theatre productions, and was crowned Home Coming Queen. She continued singing at Anderson College (Indiana) as a Voice major.  After returning to Pekin, Lois worked as a stenographer for attorney and philanthropist William Rutherford. She met and married Harold (Bud) Bastian on August 30, 1958. They built their life together in Morton and had four children. Lois was actively involved in the community, speaking and singing at area Christian Women’s Club meetings and nursing homes, performing in local theater productions, teaching voice lessons, and leading church choirs. In 1974, they built their dream home at Oak Run on Spoon Lake near Dahinda. There, Lois became a real estate broker, selling property at Oak Run and the surrounding area, while raising her family. In 1985, Lois was hired by the new Galesburg Walmart, where she made many friends working primarily in Sporting Goods, Layaway and Jewelry for over 30 years. She retired at age 82 to Indianapolis and enjoyed her free time caring for her precious dachshunds and making delicious treats for family, neighbors, and friends. Lois was a lover of friendly conversations, time spent together with family and friends, singing hymns and playing piano, scrapbooking, taking care of animals, plants, and people, and vacationing on Hilton Head Island, SC.

Lois was preceded in death by her infant son, Barry Wade, and her husband of 55 years. Also preceding her in death were her parents, three older sisters, Joyce Yvonne Sprague, Velma Louis (Dewey) Hadley and Mary Elizabeth Lowery, and daughter-in-law, Carla Renee (Russell) Bastian. Lois is survived by her younger sister, Charlie Berniece Johnson; her three children, Rob (Amanda), Jamie (Angela), and Jolie; five grandchildren, Trevor (Ellen), Presley, Myah, Nikolas, and Macy; one great-grandson, Kade, and many cherished nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life is planned for next year in Hilton Head, SC.

Arrangements have been entrusted to The Cremation Society of Indiana, 4115 Shelby Street. Leave A Message or  Share A Memory.

To plant a tree in memory of Lois Bastian, please visit our Tribute Store.