Lois Mabel Batson

Lois Mabel Lamb Batson, age 102 and 8 months, passed away April 19, 2020. She was a 65-year resident of Greenville, Illinois. Funeral services will be private due to Covid-19 concerns. For those who desire, memorials in Lois' memory may be made to First Baptist Church, Greenville, Illinois, Bond County Humane Society, Bond County Hospice, or Mount Auburn Cemetery. Those memorials may be mailed to the Young Funeral Home, 118 E College Ave, Greenville, IL 62246.


Lois was born August 10, 1917 to Samuel L. Lamb and Maybelle Drummond Lamb on their family farm in Eutaw, Alabama. She married Maurice S. Batson of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in Gulfport, Mississippi while he was serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After Maurice's discharge, they both worked at the production site for the Manhattan Project in the "secret city" of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where Lois was awarded an E-pin for her service. After the war, Maurice received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and worked for the Department of Agriculture testing cattle, which job gave them the opportunity to live in many different towns in Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and Arizona. Together, after moving to Greenville, they owned and operated the Westwoods Animal Hospital for 23 years. After Maurice's death in 1978, Lois worked until age 88 at Dick Mayer Electric Inc. in Smithboro, Illinois.

Since moving to Greenville, she has been a member of the First Baptist Church of Greenville, Illinois, where she served as a Deaconess. She was a lifetime member of the Order of the Eastern Star, having served various offices, including Worthy Matron and Treasurer, a member of Hannah Shrine of the Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem, and a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. An avid reader, Lois patronized the Greenville Public Library weekly for many years. She was an ardent bridge player and was well-known for her daily walks after moving to town. Lois loved gardening in her daughter Nancy's gardens.

Lois is survived by her daughters, Lauren (Ronald) Bradstreet of Palmyra, New York, and Nancy M. Batson of Collinsville, Illinois; grandchildren, Matthew (Becky) Bradstreet, Webster, New York, Kyle (Leslie) Bradstreet, Brooklyn, New York, and Elizabeth Bradstreet, Palmyra, New York; great-grandchildren, Jane Bradstreet, Ryan Bradstreet and Zoey Bradstreet; adopted family John and Michelle Kious of Pocahontas, Illinois; and good friend Roya Bourgeois, her "birthday twin".

Lois was predeceased by her loving husband of 36 years, Maurice S. Batson, of Greenville, and will be buried alongside him at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Greenville. She is the last of her generation of 8 children and was a loving aunt to 73 nieces and nephews (including great, great-great, and great-great-great).

As a kind, honest, genteel Southern woman of determination and vigor who worked hard and non-stop all her life, Lois not only set an excellent example for her family, but was an inspiration to all who knew her.

Memorial Contribution