Lois (Eleanor) Gentry Sloan, died peacefully in her sleep on the morning of May 26, 2021. She had been living at Summit Square since January, 2021.

Mrs. Sloan was born in Bluefield, West Virginia and grew up just outside Abingdon, Virginia and later in Williamson, West Virginia.

She graduated from Williamson High School in 1938 and attended Roanoke Business College. She married Randle Carroll Sloan in 1944 and their daughter, Lillian Carol, was born in 1945. The family lived near Durham, NC while Mr. Sloan attended Duke University after WWII, then moved to Wilmington, Delaware where they both worked for the DuPont Corporation. She left DuPont and worked for the Director of the Hagley Museum Library for several years until the family moved to Richmond, Virginia in 1963. In Richmond, she worked for the Virginia Education Association briefly and then for a Vice-President of Ethyl Corporation until her retirement in 1989 at the age of 70. She and her husband were divorced in the 1980's. Mrs. Sloan moved to Staunton in 2003 to be closer to her daughter, who had retired and moved to Waynesboro the year before.

Although she worked most of her adult life, she always had time for her family. She made many of her daughter's clothes and all of her Halloween costumes as well as matching outfits for her favorite doll. She also was an excellent cook, able to make a meal out of almost anything found in the pantry or the fridge. It is a tribute to Mrs. Sloan that, when visiting her daughter in northern Virginia, friends considered her one of the group and treated her as such. Several friends considered her their "other" mother. She had many interests which included reading, museums, travel, and of course gardening and was always willing to try something new.

Being an only child, she took good care of her parents as they aged and encountered health issues. In the early 1970's, for five months, she traveled twice a day between two hospitals, 60 miles apart, to care for her parents. It is a demonstration to her loyalty and work ethic that her employer not only held her job, but paid her for most of this time and gave her a raise when she returned to work.

Mrs. Sloan was a very social person and an extremely good listener. She had many, many friends and kept up a healthy correspondence - written or by phone - with her friends. She loved her birthdays. For many years, she would arise at 2 or 3 am on the morning of her birthday and read her large stack of birthday cards, celebrating with a little glass of champagne.

Mrs. Sloan was an experienced gardener. To celebrate her 75th birthday, she bought herself a roto-tiller, which she used in her large garden in Richmond. Her gardening continued on a smaller scale at her townhouse in Staunton and she and her neighbor, Alba, were often spotted together working in their respective yards. Her daughter called her an encyclopedia of gardening, and often referred to her for help and information.

Mrs. Sloan was an animal lover. In Richmond she had two dogs, Henry and McGoo, who were her constant companions. After their deaths, she had a cat, Annie, who was found as an orphan, hanging onto a sheep in Waterford, Virginia. She and Annie often sat on her patio in Richmond, watching the chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels and birds, all of whom had their personal food bowls in the back yard. After Annie's passing, she had a cat, Tootsie and later Larry. Larry was a comforting companion, particularly as she became less mobile. They spent many hours together in her sunroom, watching the birds.

She was very religious and practiced her beliefs. In Richmond, she was a member of Bethany Christian Church, which had an active adult membership, both religious and social. She traveled all over the US, to Alaska and to Europe with her Sunday School group or with one or more members, drove across the US with a friend and traveled to England, Switzerland, Germany and Italy with various family members. She joined the Fishersville United Methodist Church after moving to Staunton and was active in her church women's circle, the Seekers. She often expressed to family and friends that she had had a good life, many wonderful experiences and that she was ready to move on. There is no doubt that she is in a better and more wonderful place.

Mrs. Sloan will be missed by her daughter, Carol, many nieces and nephews, countless friends and by her cat, Larry. A memorial service is planned for later in the summer when there have been more vaccinations and things are a bit more open. If you wish to honor Mrs. Sloan, please make a donation to your favorite charity.