Lola Jean Booth

Lola Jean Booth passed away peacefully at home on Nov. 11, 2023 at the age of 99.

Lola was born March 22, 1924 in Chamberlain, S.D. She grew up in hard times from sturdy and strict immigrant stock. Her father, William E. (Bill) Holbach was of German descent. Her mother, Inga "Vera" Goff Holback was of German/Norwegian descent. Lola was a tom-boy and spent her days in the fields with her dad on a small farm along the Crow Creek; stacking hay or rounding up the milk cows, Whitey and Roannie. On cold winter days, she and her sisters would cut out paper dolls from the Montgomery Wards and Sears catalogs. Lola tells the story of one cold, windy, snowy day, when the Holbach kids bundled up and trekked two miles to school. When they got to the small, country school building the door was locked. Their hands were freezing as they started the long trip back home. Just then, they heard the rattling of a wagon. They were all crying by then. Their dad had heard a broadcast on an old battery-operated radio that the temperature was 45 degrees below zero. To the kids' surprise, their dad told the kids to run ahead of the team and clap their hands. Looking back Lola said she realized that her dad had saved their lives that day.

Lola had 10 siblings: Betty Ellen (deceased), Wilma Annalaura (deceased), Amy Francis, Hot Springs, S.D., Bonnie Margaret (deceased), Frederick William (Ted, deceased), Kenneth DeLos (deceased), Ruth of Spearfish, S.D., Dale LeClair (deceased), Carol Eunice of Kalispell, Mont., and Mary Louise, Mont.

Lola attended school in Chamberlain and High School at Fort Thompson, S.D. Lola attended Beauty school in Sioux Falls, S.D. and lived with her Aunt Vida. Her sister Betty also lived with Aunt Vida and the two sisters loved to go to the Arkota Dance Hall and dance the night away. Betty got a job in Washington D.C. and Lola followed her there. Lola got a job as a nanny and they had an apartment down town. Lola remembers waking up on Dec. 7, 1941 to the shouts of the paper boys: extra, extra, read all about it - Japs bomb Pearl Harbor. Lola moved back to Sioux Falls soon after the war broke out. Her daughter, Bonita Gail (Bonnie) Holbach was born Sept. 19, 1943.

Lola did her part for the war effort and moved to San Francisco with her young daughter. She got a job as a welder on Military ships. Lola said, "I loved it because I got to see Fishermen's Wharf."

Lola moved back to South Dakota where she met and married George L. Foster on Oct. 16, 1944 in Custer, S. D. George had just returned from serving in the United States Army in WWII. Their 24-year marriage took resolved endurance. From this marriage eight children were born: George Leonard "Butch" Foster, Jr., Haxtun, Michael Eugene "Mickey" Foster (Deceased), Donald Daniel "Don" Foster, Haxtun, Lola "Jeanne" Winchester and husband Harley (Jack), Cheyenne, Wyo., Billy Lynn "Bill" Foster, Haxtun, Patricia Dee "Pat" and husband Doug, Idaho, Debra Joan "Debby" McBride and husband, Lyle, Haxtun, Roxie L. Shaw and husband, Bruce, Fort Collins, Lola's eldest daughter, Bonita (Bonnie) Mitts, Bill, Wyo.

Lola married the love of her life, Gail F. Booth, on July 10, 1968 in Buffalo, Wyo. Gail passed away on Aug. 20, 1982. Lola, devastated at the thought of living life without Gail, sat at the table one night and said she wanted him to take her with him. "He said, 'honey, you can't do that, you have to stay here and take care of my kids." And that she did, until her passing on Nov. 11 at age 99. She loved her children and family.

Lola was a dedicated and trusted employee, holding down many positions to support her family. Many of her jobs were in health care; having been a nanny, nurses aid in hospitals and nursing homes and owning and managing her own home-based elder care business.

Lola's caring for others did not cease when she retired. She loved volunteering, first in the gift shop at the Poudre Valley Hospital facility and then as a guide when PVH moved into its new facility on Harmony Road in Fort Collins.

Lola was a strong-willed, quick-witted and stubborn lady who spoke her mind. Friends and family described her as spunky, sassy, unique, a gem, a sweetheart, a dog lover, charming and a wonderful lady.

Lola's favorite hobby was talking and visiting her family on the telephone and in person. She also enjoyed smoking a few cigarettes a day, Facebook, sewing, crocheting, solitaire, watching Judge Judy, Dancing with the Stars and reading. Lola loved spending several summers at her daughter Bonnie's, helping with the garden and enjoying the country life. Lola loved talking on CB Radio in the 70s from their home in Timnath. Her CB handle was Queen B and she once received the Bucket Mouth of the year award for spending so much time on the CB. She would talk to truckers and anyone who wanted to chat or needed roadside help. They had a base station at their home in Timnath that was so powerful, she could talk to people all the way from Denver to Cheyenne and up to Laramie.

Lola always had a beloved furry companion on her lap; her dogs included Chino, Angel, Korkee, Kobee and at the time of her passing, Miss Molly, her trusted and loyal Morkie.

Lola spent the last 20 years of her life living in an apartment in her daughter Debby and son-in-law's house in Haxtun. Until her health declined, she volunteered at Retread Threads, was a member of the Haxtun Lions Club and the Haxtun United Methodist Church.

Lola has 23 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren and 16 great-great grandchildren.

A grave side memorial service will be conducted Nov. 24 at 11 a.m. at the Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, S.D. Lola will be buried with her beloved husband, Gail Booth. She will be missed by her beloved family and all who knew her.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Haxtun Lions Club, care of Points West Bank, P.O. Box 8, Haxtun, CO, 80731 or to a charity of donor's choice.