Lois A. Schumacher, 91, of Essex Center, Vt., passed away peacefully on October 22, 2026, surrounded by family, at the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, Vt.
She was born on March 23, 1935, in Philadelphia, Pa., to Clifford and Myrtle Abrahamson. She attended Springfield High School and graduated from Pembroke University in 1956 as a biology major. She married her college sweetheart, Jim Schumacher, and the couple went on to live and raise their family in Anaheim and Mill Valley, Calif., then Rota, Spain, and finally Huntington and Essex, Vt.
Lois worked as a teacher’s aide in the Vermont special education system and later as a produce manager at Origanum Natural Foods and the Onion River Co-op in Burlington, Vt. She was an avid gardener and an advocate of natural foods. She had a strong interest in arts and crafts and pursued interests in painting, weaving, ceramics and hooked rugs.
Lois is survived by her children, Steven (Wendy Marston), Kristin (John Grams), John (Shirley Pine) and Andrea; and her grandchildren, Chantal Gardel, Eric Schumacher and Ian Schumacher. She was predeceased by her husband, James W. Schumacher; her parents, Clifford and Myrtle Abrahamson; and her siblings, Clifford Abrahamson and Marjorie Anderson.
She will be remembered and sadly missed.
No formal services were requested. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a charity of your choice in memory of Lois.