Lola Mary (Carswell) DeForest, 90, of Olathe, passed away on June 21, 2020. She was born on July 29, 1929 to Edwin & Juanita (Bloyd) Carswell in Alton, KS.
Lola grew up on a farm south of Alton, KS. She graduated from Alton High School in 1947, & attended college where she obtained a certificate to teach school. She taught school in a one-room schoolhouse for a year before her marriage to Merle Eugene DeForest on May 19, 1948.
They farmed near Alton until the spring of 1951 when they moved back to the farm near Osborne, KS where Merle was born. When Merle died in 1965, Lola took on the responsibility of providing for herself & 3 children. In addition to being a devoted mother, she worked as a cosmetologist, then as an office manager in the Osborne County Hospital, & eventually as a certified medical aide until her retirement in 1994. She then moved from Osborne to Wichita, KS where she moved in with her daughter, Bernice, in anticipation of Bernice's adoption of Sean.
Lola enjoyed life in many ways. She was able to find good church homes wherever she lived & loved the fellowship of believers at Community Bible Church in Olathe, KS. She spent many happy hours going with her church friends to theaters & going out to eat.
She especially loved spending time with her children & grandchildren. She loved to bake pies, cinnamon rolls & meals. She enjoyed crocheting, making many afghans for family members. She cherished traveling with Bernice to such places as Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, & Washington, D. C.
She is survived by her 3 children: Marvin Ray DeForest & his wife Debra; Allen Dale DeForest & his wife Christine; & Bernice Ann DeForest Averill & her husband Glen. She is survived by 6 grandchildren; David DeForest & his wife Jeni, Carrie DeForest, Kyla DeForest, Cole DeForest & his wife Robin, Sean Averill, Megan Averill, & 6 great-grandchildren. Lola is also suvived by her sister, Verla LaRue; sister-in-law, Mary Jo Carswell, & many loving nieces, nephews & friends.
Lola was preceded in death by her husband, Merle Deforest; parents Edwin & Juanita Carswell; brother, Richard Carswell; sister Retha Lewis & her husband Don; & brother-in-law Darrell LaRue.
A memorial service was held in Olathe, KS on June 27, 2020 at the Community Bible Church.