Loris Louise Shoemaker

Loris Louise Brainard was born in Denton, Montana on July 10,1930, approximately ten minutes after her twin sister, Lois. They were the youngest of the six children of Frank and Gwendolyn Brainard which included brothers Bill and Allan and sisters Margaret and Dorothy. When Loris was three years old the family left their homestead in Montana and moved to Kent, Washington.

Loris reminisced fondly about growing up on “the hill” with her sisters to play with and friendly neighbors. The girls picked cherries and berries and babysat to earn spending money. Their mother was a 4H leader and they entered many competitions. Loris’ chocolate cake once won her a trip to Chicago. When they were older, they enjoyed going downtown to see a show or into Seattle to shop. Her brother, Alan, taught her to drive. She played tennis at Kent Meridian High School where she graduated in 1948.

Loris met Jim Shoemaker while working at Northwest Metals in Kent. She worked in the front office, and he was a welder. After serving in the Navy Jim was living back at home with his Catholic mother and on Friday she would send him with a tuna sandwich for lunch. This he would trade with Loris for whatever she brought. She didn’t mind as she said his mother made the best tuna salad sandwich she ever tasted. Eventually Jim asked Loris out on a date and must have felt confident as he chose to take her to a wrestling match followed by dinner at the Poodle Dog in Fife. Loris and Jim married on October 17, 1953.

Jim took up carpentry and built their forever home in Milton, Washington. They welcomed three children: Janie, Tom and Diana. In the early years of their marriage Loris worked part time doing ad layout at the Auburn Herald but eventually became a full-time homemaker at which she excelled. She ran a tight ship which her Navy husband appreciated. Tom once stated that between the two of them they could do it all. Jim was known for being able to build or fix anything. Loris managed their finances very successfully, took care of the kids, acted as room mother and volunteer at their schools and took care of the house. They worked hard to provide for their children always saving up enough money to take a nice family vacation. They purchased lake property and Jim built a cabin where they could camp and swim and enjoy weekends and summer holidays. Loris could sew and mend and loved to knit. She made countless baby sweaters in her time along with blankets, booties and Christmas stockings for many of her family and friends. She made a home cooked meal nearly every night often followed by a homemade dessert and was famous for her pies and cinnamon rolls. She baked sugar cookies for all the holidays, something she continued to do until her later years. At Christmas she baked a huge array of Christmas cookies and candies, a tradition she shared with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She kept her house spotless cleaning three times a week, a tradition she shared with her children on school breaks much to their chagrin. With Loris at the helm the household ran like a well-oiled ship.

Loris was devoted to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Nothing gave her more joy than spending time and sharing holidays with her family. For years she kept a grandma pass and regularly entertained them with a trip to the zoo. She eagerly participated in any and every event they were involved in from clubs to sports to school productions. She celebrated every milestone and was so proud of everything they ever did. She loved to share stories of them or photos she received with all her friends.

Loris loved her family and extended family. She relished every opportunity to be with them and with a large family on both sides there were plenty. She enjoyed every holiday tradition and every gathering from picnics to shopping to weddings and other events. She often hosted a party or bridal or baby shower. She and Jim hosted an annual picnic for his family at their lake property and she continued to host after his passing until this year when she fell ill. She loved to spend time with her sisters and their families and cared about every one of her nieces and nephews and their families. In their later years Jim and Loris had a lot of fun traveling with her sisters and their spouses. Her sisters were some of her best friends.

Loris was a loyal friend. She held onto her friendships for years, often for life. Jim and Loris celebrated countess holidays with the Johnson-Amrein’s, Saugens, and Sandersons as well as many other neighbors and friends. She left behind her best friend, Poppy of over 60 years. Loris is a three-time cancer survivor and after her first cancer in the 1980s she started walking with a group of friends that continues today although as more of a coffee club. She looked forward to seeing these ladies every day. She shared an afternoon cup of tea with her friend Margaret nearly every day for over fifty years.

After Jim passed in 2017, Loris continued to live on her own, fully independent, past her 95th birthday. She then fell ill with pneumonia and complications never allowed her to return home. She passed on November 22nd.

The family would like to thank The Rivers in Puyallup where she spent the last months of her life being well loved and cared for. We want to thank her walking friends Flora, Nellie, Poppy, Inez, Jean, Marsha and Janice for picking her up for as long as they could, once she stopped driving, so she could enjoy those mornings with all of you. We want to thank her neighbors who watched out for her, especially Margaret and Liz Morrow, lifelong friends always there to help. A huge thank you to her daughter-in-law, Paula, who spent countless hours caring for her, transporting her, managing her health care needs and spending time with her. And we want to thank Mission Woods Church for hosting her service today. Although she was new to the congregation, Loris and Jim have long been associated with this church where many of their closest friends were members and invited them to attend special events. Attending services here meant a great deal to her and brought her a lot of happiness the last couple of years. She felt very welcomed and loved and often spoke about how kind and friendly everyone was.

Loris is preceded in death by her parents, brothers, sisters Margaret and Lois, husband Jim and son Tom. She is survived by her sister Dorothy, daughters Janie and Diana, daughter-in-law Paula, eight grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren and numerous family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to Mission Woods Church or the American Cancer Society.