Lois Jean Chickering, the daughter of Lester Findley Chickering and Margaret Carol (Haviland) Chickering of Iowa, was born December 21, 1944, in Houston, Texas. She graduated high school from Stephen F. Austin, attended two years at Stephen F. Austin State College in Nacogdoches, Texas and graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Austin in 1968. Her marriage to Robert Mena of Merida, Mexico in 1969 led her to move to Laramie in 1973, when she accepted a position in the UW math department. In 1981 she opened Chickering Bookstore with an inheritance from her deceased parents. Her marriage to Robert ended in divorce in 1989. In 1994 Lois married Alan Redder of Truman, Minnesota and in the same year, relocated the bookstore purchasing the Simon Durlacher Building. After twenty-nine years as bookseller in downtown Laramie, Lois closed the bookstore and sold the building to Maggie and Nick Murdock.
She is preceded in death by her parents and sister, Avis Kernahan of Houston. She is survived by her husband Alan Redder and sister-in-law Rebecca Stone.
A visitation will be held on Friday, December 5th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Montgomery-Stryker Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Lois’s name to the Laramie Animal Welfare Society.
So many years ago, but her delightfulness was contagious. Spent so much time in her wonderful bookstore. Peace and love to her family.
Lois was such a kind and gentle person. Loved the book store. Was happy to run into her at Washington park. She will be missed greatly. Love to Alan
Lois and I were friends and colleagues since the mid-1980's. She and Al were also social friends of ours enjoying wine and dinner accompanied by stimulating conversation. We continued to correspond after we moved from Laramie. She was a dear person to our family. A life well-lived. She will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with you, AL.
I will miss. Lois so much. We have been friends for many years and shared a lot of meaningful experiences together. My condolences to you Al. I know how difficult it is to lose a partner. Blessings to you.
I regularly visited Lois' bookstore. She was really helpful and made a lot of great recommendations for some of my favorite books. It was a great place to be. Thank you, Lois.
Lois was a lovely neighbor who was always such a pleasure to talk to. My heartfelt condolences.
Lois was a dear friend of my dad's (Les Shader). She was always willing to help him find the rare, old book that he wanted. I remember him taking me there to pick out a book when I was little. That is probably where my fondness for books came from.
I met Lois just a couple of months ago at a weightlifting class here in Laramie. She was so sweet. I started calling her little Lois, because she was tiny. Lois could deadlift as much weight as I could, which was impressive, but her good nature and caring attitude were more impressive. I will miss seeing her very much.
Lois was a hard working small business owner like myself and we enjoyed many encounters with activities downtown & Ivinson Street happenings. Her bookstore was a welcome place to browse, discuss current events, and just get away from what was bothering you in the world with Lois. I'll always consider her and the bookstore as such a cornerstone in downtown Laramie.
I went to her bookstore a few times but have had the pleasure of playing bridge online with her this past year. I live in Michigan now and she, Pat McClurg, Norma Pigg, and Mary Beth Stepans played each week. Lois was our sub. Always a nice time. Lovely lady.
This news is heartbreaking. Lois was one of the kindest people I have known. She was always a delight to be around. She was also an exceptional bookstore operator. Even though she was very efficient with inventory, it seemed I could never go in there without walking out with two or three books under my arm.
Lois was such a thoughtful, bright, kind person. The Chickering Bookstore was a special place for our whole family. I will always appreciate Lois’s patience and generosity in allowing our grandchildren to sit in the store and read as many books as they wanted before they selected the books they wanted to buy. Lois made a positive impact on so many lives through that store. Nick and I have always felt honored that Lois sought us out to buy the Durlacher Building when she closed the bookstore and retired. Lois and the kind space she inhabited will be missed, but always remembered.
Lois was my boss at Chickering Bookstore for several years, when I was in my late teens and early twenties. I remember her as kind and nurturing, and she encouraged me to grow and learn while working there. She gave me more responsibilities over time and helped me gain employment for a management position at a bookstore in Seattle when I moved there in 2000. Lois was a bright light in this little world.
Lois was a wonderful person. She and her bookstore were such great assets to Laramie. I think of her often and send condolences to all who were close to her.
We will miss you, dear heart, walking your littledoggie around the park. Tom and Laura Gaddis
What a dear, dear person Lois was. I enjoyed her so very much. Dawn Deiss