Lois Binder

Lois Binder passed away peacefully on March 24, 2021 in Madison, WI.  She was born on April 6, 1930, the fourth child of James W. Savage and Ethel E. Savage (Burroughs) in Cleveland, Ohio.  She was the youngest of four children with two older brothers, Robert (Vaida) and James (Kay), and sister, Varie (Joseph Miano). As part of the generation who experienced the Great Depression and made sacrifices for World War II, she witnessed hardship and developed great compassion for those who lost homes and struggled to find enough to eat.  Her mother passed away when she was 11 and her father struggled with medical bills.  Her experiences gave her a heart of gold for small children, animals, and all of God’s creation.  When her father remarried, she spent her teen summers at a farm in Salem, Ohio with her stepmother’s family and thoroughly enjoyed the hard work and community effort on the farm.

She met her husband, August E. Binder when she was a student at Heidelberg College and a lifeguard on Lake Erie and he was in college at Carnegie Tech and his first job at General Electric.  They were active in a young adult group affiliated with the churches that preceded the United Church of Christ.  Again, she has great memories of work and socialization provided in that fellowship.  In 1950, they were united in marriage in Ohio and had two girls, Nancy and Joyce. They moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1954 when Augie accepted a job at Sandia Laboratories and had two more children, Barbara and Tom.  Albuquerque in that era was quaint and a great community to raise a family.  They created a beautiful yard in the southwest and loved to garden. We have many fond memories of exploring the southwest, hiking and skiing in the mountains, and camping vacations in the Western US National Parks.

When Augie retired, they were able to travel to Europe, Alaska, and Mexico.  They also volunteered in with several organizations including Koinonia Farms, Habitat for Humanity, and the US Forest Service.  They became campground hosts in Wisconsin at Franklin Lake near Eagle River where their grandchildren, Carrie, Chris, and Joe could visit in the summers creating more fond memories through work in nature.  In 1987 they settled in Portland, Oregon near their daughter, Nancy and her family. Gardening was much easier in Portland and again they nurtured a beautiful yard near Huntington Lake on the Pacific flyway where they enjoyed birdwatching. They were active in Cedar Hills United Church of Christ and enjoyed the fellowship while rolling up their sleeves to help out where they could.  They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in the Grand Tetons with extended family.  She loved time with her grandchildren and family gatherings in Portland, Madison, and Albuquerque.

When Nancy passed away, they stepped up to help raise their granddaughter, Abigail. When her husband Augie passed away in 2007, she stayed in the home they shared in retirement for five years, before moving to Wisconsin with her daughter, Joyce and her family in 2012. She joined Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ and although she wanted to participate more, she ended up for the first time receiving more than she gave in the terms of support and her pastoral partner, Sue with whom she shared the interest of flowers, nature, birds and stories about the US Forest Service.

As with many of her generation, she taught her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and nieces and nephews her values of honest work, carrying one’s own weight, personal sacrifice for the common good, and the love of nature. She was both frugal and generous and enjoyed the simple things in life. It broke her heart when people did not have adequate housing or food or expressed cruelty to others. As a lover of nature, she was respectful of her environment and distressed when people carelessly left trash or pollution that negatively impacted the common good.  She always tried to do her part to make a difference and leave the next generation in a better place than the one before. She knew each generation will face its own challenges and make its own contributions that adapt to changing circumstances, but we treasure the example she has shown.

She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, siblings, and oldest daughter, Nancy.  She is survived by her children, Joyce, Barbara (Dave), and Thomas (Lynn); five grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; her sister-in-law, Ruth Duckworth; and several nieces and nephews.

She spent the past three years in the care of Brookdale Senior Living in Middleton and more recently Agrace Hospice. She was generous with compliments, smiles, waves, and humor with the compassionate staff who provided her care.

May her generous and compassionate spirit live on in the lives she has touched.  “A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others." -The Wizard of Oz

There will be a private celebration of life with live streaming for those out of town. Please feel free to join us virtually on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 3pm. Guests may register at this link .  A family gathering will be held this summer in New Mexico. Memorials may be made to Heifer International , One Great Hour of Sharing , or Habitat for Humanity .