Lois Shella

Lois Ruth Shella was born on February 15, 1933 to Otto and Dora (Dock) Krapf in Pipestone, Minnesota. She grew up in the country and attended country school until moving to high school in Jasper, graduating with the class of 1951.  During this time, she met her sweetheart, Hall Shella and they were married on July 11, 1954 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Jasper, the same church where she had been baptized and confirmed.  
     After high school she attended Mankato State College and graduated with a two-year teaching degree.  She taught 4th grade in Jasper and through the years continued to substitute teach for the school district.  Teaching was one of her favorite things as her children and grandchildren would attest.
     Lois was so kind with her time when she could be, almost never saying “NO.”  She was very involved with Girl Scouts as area chairman, camp co-director, leader, and helped with cookie sales.  Church activities with WELCA, Bible studies, Sunday School and many more kept her busy.  One of her favorites was to sing in the choir especially with that tenor voice.  She spent many hours fixing hair at Good Sam, volunteering at the Jasper Historical Society, working with the American Legion Auxiliary and participating with many more organizations.
     Her favorite way to spend her time was with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  All of them have such wonderful memories with her. She was always bringing a little of the country life into it and she wasn’t afraid to get right in the activity with them.  Lois had a love of animals.  She loved her poodles: Charlie x3 and Sophie. Lois treasured her Eden Jolly Junior 4H memories and loved being outside gardening.        
     Lois’ family, friends, and acquaintances would say that most of all they loved Lois’ sense of humor. They called them her one-liners.  She could come up so unexpectedly with the craziest responses.  She loved to make people laugh even up to the day before her death.
     Lois was a good German, but she had mastered many “Norwegian tricks” as she called them.  She could make lefse, rollepolse and many more delicious treats and delicacies.  She was known for her German coffee cake, cooked red cabbage, rag rugs, quilts, and love of fern peonies.
     Surviving Lois is daughter, Cindy (Jim) Tranby and their daughter, Haley Tranby. Leigh’s children, Jessica Gipp and her daughter, Bella Gipp, Joshua Gipp and Joseph (Mikayla) Gipp and their children, Jonathan Joseph (JJ), Cooper and Gwenny Mae; brother, Paul (Caroline) Krapf; sister, Karen Amdahl; brothers-in-law, Gene Roegiers and Stan Sacks; and Lois’ niece and nephews, and many other family members and friends.
     Lois was preceded in death by her husband, Hall; daughters, Jane, Leigh and Susan; her parents; sisters, Lila and Lora Mae; nieces, Kathy Jo Krapf, Jennifer Sacks and Sarah Shella- Stevens; brother-in-law, Wayne Amdahl; and brother- and sister-in-law, John and Claire Shella.

Memorials may be directed to the Jasper Evangelical Lutheran Church.