Lois Brown

Lois Stallings Lanier Brown, 99, of Wilson, died Saturday, May 24, 2025.

Funeral, Thursday, 11:00 AM, Maplewood Cemetery, Section 2, conducted by Rev Marcia Kifer. The family will be at Wilson Memorial Service, Wednesday, 6:00 – 8:00 PM.

Lois Petronella Stallings Lanier Brown. “Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!” Psalm 98:4 How do you put 99 years into just a few words? Lois was one of five children raised in and around Wilson and Wilson County. She married F. Deland Lanier, a navy man, in Orange Texas in 1944 and expected to travel the world. He got out of the Navy and returned to Wilson. She and Deland had two daughters, Dalen and Connie. Lois may not have traveled the world but the family was on the move going on weekend drives, trips to the coast and to the mountains, and an unforgettable trip to New York City. Her life with Deland was cut short when he died in 1965. With one daughter married and one still at home, Lois married Linwood Brown in 1966. Always working outside the home, Lois worked at Wilson Candy Company making peach buds (hard candy), at Burlington Industries working the looms, at the Wilson Theater’s soda shop, and at Burger Boy. It wasn’t until her late 40s after a minor traffic accident that anyone learned that she was legally blind (due to a birth defect). Her children didn’t know she couldn’t see them at a distance – she kept up with them by the sound of their voices and what colors they were wearing. Her eyesight was never a stumbling block—she could always find more Easter eggs than her grandchildren could.

Throughout her life, Lois continued to travel on the road and in the air – Florida, Arkansas, West Virginia, Virginia, DC, and Canada. When her daughter Connie moved to El Paso, her travel spread west and she added the states of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and all the states in between. Her last big trips took her to Alaska and Hawaii. At 82, she watched salmon swimming upstream, whales breaching the water around a cruise ship, totem poles, and glaciers. At 83, she was very proud of climbing to the top of Diamond Head on Oahu, making her way down a cliff to see the sea turtles and visiting the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. In addition to loving to be on the go, Lois loved the Lord, her family and friends. She was a charter member of several churches in Wilson including Ascension Lutheran Church. She put in countless hours of volunteer work at her churches and many hours were devoted to reading the Bible. She and her magnifying glass read Bible passages countless times and, give her a newspaper, she’d be the first to catch a name in the obituaries. Lois was also very involved with the Federation of the Blind and attended as many of their activities as she could. She was also involved with the American Legion Auxiliary. Above all, Lois loved to talk. When Dalen got her Mom her first cellphone, she banked more hours of calls than Dalen and Hilton combined. She and her trusty flip phone made calls right up to her 99th birthday.

She never met a stranger and once she’d met you she didn’t forget you. Whatever she learned about you, she remembered - birth dates, phone numbers, addresses and any other detail you’d share with her. Her friends became her family and she was blessed to have some friendships spanning 70 years. Even though she was 99, she did not outlive all of her friends. Lois loved life but was always ready to meet her Lord. Her last few months had not been the best but she still recognized everyone who came to see her, asked you follow-up questions on a conversation you had weeks earlier, made jokes, clowned and laughed. Lois was a handful here on earth and will be greatly missed by her family and friends but she is walking with her Lord now (dancing when she can), talking his ears off and speaking to every soul she passes on that walk. “Shout to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 118:1

Mrs. Brown was preceded in death by her husbands, F. Deland Lanier and Linwood Brown; parents, Guilford and Susan Baker Stallings; sisters, Louise Rice and Ruth Deatherage, Susie Gray Stallings; brother, Billy Stallings.

She is survived by her daughters Dalen L. Petway of Wilson and Connie Rae Lanier Windham of Canyon Lake, TX; grandchildren, Sharon Wethington (Mark) of Elm City and Scott L. Petter of the home; great-grandchildren, Alex and Kalei Petter.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Federation of the Blind, 137 Kristens Court Dr, Mooresville, NC 28115.

Arrangements by Wilson Memorial Service, 2811 Fieldstream Dr. N, Wilson, 237-7171; www.wilsonmemorialservice.com