- Date Of Birth: December 8, 1924
- Date Of Death: December 15, 2015
- State: Idaho
Lois Ann Johnson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on December 8, 1924 and she went to be with her Lord and Savior on December 15, 2015. She was an only child and was raised in Larimore, North Dakota until she moved to Nampa, Idaho to attend Northwest Nazarene College (now University). Lois Ann received her teaching certificate (a 2-year program at the time) and began teaching at Eastside Elementary in Nampa at the age of 19. She taught third and fourth grade and was the school music teacher for five years.
She met Ralph Shoemaker and they married on June 2, 1949. When they married, she quit teaching with the intention of being a homemaker. However, as Ralph’s trucking business (Shoemaker Trucking) grew, she worked alongside him and started taking night classes at Boise Junior College (now Boise State University) in the areas of business management and accounting. While Ralph managed the trucking side of the business, Lois Ann managed the office and finances. In the early 1970’s, Lois Ann realized that switching to a computer would provide for efficiencies in the accounting and payroll area. After researching, they bought an IBM computer (the kind that filled an entire room and used punch cards) and she went to programming school to learn how to use it. Lois Ann never backed down from a challenge or opportunity to learn.
As dedicated as she and Ralph were to the business, they were even more dedicated to their family, their faith, and serving others. They raised three sons and a daughter and always made it a priority to be at their school music and sporting events.
Lois Ann was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and her oldest son, Mark. She is survived by: her sons, Jamison (Tami) of Meridian and Craig (Deena) of Eagle; her daughter, Quinet Bryan of Nampa; Mark’s widow, Arlene (Gary) Cooper of Meridian; 10 grandchildren and 4 spouses; 11 great-grandchildren; one niece and two nephews.
