Lois Elizabeth Finkbeiner was born on July 7, 1921, to John and Clara (Herrmenn) Bell in Yakima, Washington. She passed away on December 16, 2022, at home in Kennewick, Washington, she was 101 years old.

Lois was the youngest of five children. Her three older brothers, Vernon, Keith, and Rex picked a crate of raspberries to pay the doctor who delivered her. She was born just west of Yakima in Cottonwood Canyon near Harwood. Her home had no electricity or running water. It was not until Lois was in 9th grade that the family got electricity and another seven years before getting indoor plumbing. There was a wood stove for cooking and heating the house. The walls were so thin and cracked that rocks were heated at night to warm the bed. Kerosene lamps and candles were used at night. It was horse and buggy days until the late 1920's when her oldest brother Vernon got a 1920's blue Chevrolet. Since there was no dishwasher, Kathryn and Lois did the dishes. Her sister washed and Lois dried them. Lois and her sister had their own special tree. Each one had one side to do whatever they wanted.

Lois attended Cottonwood grade school which was a two-room schoolhouse. She had to walk to school. When in the 9th grade she attended Franklin Junior High for one year and lived with a woman in town. When in the 10th grade she could drive her brother's car to school to attend Yakima High School (now Davis High) in which she graduated in 1939.

The family attended the Yakima Evangelical United Brethren Church, where during a revival meeting Lois accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior at the age of nine. Christianity and morals were very important to the Bell family. At church is where Lois met Harry Gimmaka in 1939 and they began dating.

Lois attended Whitworth College in Spokane where she lived with her brother, Keith and his wife. During this time on February 14, 1941, Harry came to Whitworth to propose to Lois, and she accepted. They we married on June 28, 1941. Soon after Harry joined the Navy until the end of World War II. Lois moved to Portland to live with her sister and worked at a Bible store while attending Cascade College.

The first home they bought after WW II was on the Yakima Indian Reservation. They owned two acres. Their daughter Karen was born during this time on February 16, 1947. One Christmas Harry bought Lois a piano who loved playing hymns. The family moved in 1954 out to the West Valley area on a five acre home. Their son David was born in that year. Since the drive to the cannery was farther they moved again to 3rd Avenue. While there Lois held the Good News Club in the house every week. They were busy with two children and being active at church. Then after six years they moved back to the five acres until 1967.

The family moved in the summer of 1967 to Connell, Washington, where a new food processing plant had been built called Unique and now is Lamb Weston. Harry worked as a supervisor in Quality Control. They built a new home, a car wash and then converted one bay into Harry's Drive-In. Lois began working at Ed Poe Insurance Agency in 1968 thru 1985. Also, during the time of the Drive-In, she worked there from 1970 to 1976 as needed. This supplied enough money for them to make three trips to the Holy Land and one trip to Asia. In 1976, they closed the Drive-In and turned it into another bay at the carwash. Also, their daughter Karen had graduated from college and was teaching. Their son David became a general contractor and in 1978 married Trena Robinson. In August of 1978 Harry suffered a massive stroke, but through therapy he learned to walk with a cane. He never regained use of his left arm. He passed away in July of 1985.

In the fall of 1985 Lois volunteered her time to Child Evangelism Fellowship in which she traveled through Kansas, Illinois, and Georgia, this lasted until December of that year.

For the next 19 years Lois lived in Connell and enjoyed working in her flower garden, managing the carwash and watching her grandchildren grow. There were camping trips to Mt. Adams. She went on numerous trips to various states with her daughter. When her daughter went to Costa Rica for two years, Lois flew down for Christmas the first year for three weeks and the second time for three months which covered Christmas, Valentine's Day and her daughter's birthday.

On July 25, 2004, Lois married a wonderful man, Roland Finkbeiner, who had recently become widowed. They moved into Roland's home in Connell, but not long after they decided to move into a retirement facility in Kennewick, WA. Lois was 82 years old, and Roland was 87 years old. Roland passed away in 2010. Lois moved back home where her daughter was living, but in 2018 her daughter needed to put her into assisted living.

This is a small sketch of Lois' life. Christ was always first in her life and then her family. She supported the veterans and many Christian organizations. She had a deep love for Israel and our country. She was deeply blessed by having two children, three step-children, 16 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Lois is survived by her daughter Karen Gimmaka of Connell, WA; son David Gimmaka of Aberdeen, WA; daughter-in-law Trena Gimmaka of South Carolina; Galen (Margaret) Finkbeiner of Pasco, WA, Elaine (Doug) Perkins of Royal City, WA and Hazel (Bud) Harman of Moses Lake, WA. She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings and two husbands.

Interment will be at the Terrace Heights Cemetery in Yakima, Washington.