Lois Sprague Obituary, Death – Lois Marilyn (Ingalls) Sprague, age 91, of Machiasport, Maine, passed away peacefully and went to be with her Lord at the house of Marlene Walker in Holden, Maine, on December 28, 2022. Lois Marilyn (Ingalls) Sprague was a resident of Machiasport. During this difficult moment, members of her family were by her side. Machiasport was home for Lois Marilyn (Ingalls) Sprague for much of her life. Her parents, Arden Augustus Ingalls and Amy Noreen (Proctor) Ingalls, welcomed their daughter Lois into the world on May 11th, 1931, in the town of Bucks Harbor located in Machiasport, Michigan. Her parents were married. Her mother had a part-time job at a sardine cannery, while her father was a lobster fisherman. Both of her parents were active in the fishing business in some capacity during her childhood.
In 1938, she moved with her family to Mamaroneck, New York, where her father and uncle both got work in a boatyard owned by Nichol’s. During the time that Lois, her younger sister Eleanor, their two cousins, and all of their parents lived in close quarters in cabins on the boatyard property, Lois has memories of her singing first thing in the morning, swimming in the harbor first thing in the morning, and her father playing the guitar. All of this transpired at the time that Lois and her family were living in very close proximity to one another in the same house. 1946 was the year that the family moved back to Machiasport, and upon their arrival, Lois and Eleanor decided to finish their secondary school at Washington Academy, which was located in East Machias.
The next year, Lois and her sister Eleanor were pleased when they learned from their mother that the family would soon be expanded with the addition of a new member, who they would come to know as their brother Bobby. This news caused Lois and Eleanor to be overjoyed. After Vern’s discharge from the Air Force, the couple settled in for some time in their New Moon trailer, which was located on the property that belonged to his parents. After some time, they moved into a house that was half completed on “Potato Point” on the east side of Machias, which is where they would eventually start their own family. They taught Sunday School, served in the nursery, aided with Vacation Bible School, and owned a Christian book business while also being active members of the Machias Valley Baptist Church, where they had been members for their whole lives and were very involved.
This church has only just lately begun its operations. The couple ultimately welcomed four children into the world: Janet (1955), David (1957), Douglas (1959), and Paul. 1955 is the year of Janet’s birth (1962). Due to the fact that there were three males in the family, she and Vern devoted a substantial lot of their parenting efforts to praying for the boys’ success in life. After the children reached an older age, Lois began working part time at D. W. Small & Sons in Machias. After a while, she went on to Ellsworth to continue her career. After moving to Hancock in 1969, the family quickly became good friends with the Brown and Page families, as well as their neighbors, the Moise family, and the members of the United Baptist Church in Ellsworth. In addition, the family has a longstanding relationship with the members of the United Baptist Church in Hancock. Their house in Hancock immediately had a reputation as a welcoming and popular gathering spot for the children’s friends in the neighborhood, such as Michael Gordon and Gerry Peake, amongst others.