Lois "Babe" Scherr

Lois “Babe” Scherr, 86, peacefully passed away Wednesday August 7, 2024, at her Edgewood Memory Care home in Mandan, ND, after a long battle with dementia.

Lois Brown was born March 31, 1938, in Napoleon, the second daughter of Walter and Freida Brown. She grew up in Napoleon and met the love of her life, George Scherr, in junior high. They moved to Bismarck during her high school years where she graduated from Bismarck High School in 1956.

Lois married George on December 15, 1956. To this union they added six busy children in which Lois was the queen of household while George built his construction company. She kept busy with not only her own children, but also hauled around her nieces and nephews to their sports practices and activities in their great big station wagon. Lois enjoyed volunteering whenever she was able to. Meals on wheels and for St. Mary’s schools were some of her favorites. She also worked at the St. Mary’s Parish Church as the parish administrative secretary for a few years in the early 70s when her youngest son Michael went to school after Monsignor Feehan had talked her into it.

Lois was an amazing mother, but she was born to be a Grandmother. She was blessed with 13 grandchildren who kept her driving skills sharp, attending as many of their activities she could fit in. Christmas at Grama’s house was always magical with every space beautifully decorated inside and out. Every holiday in fact. A favorite Christmas memory is the one spent at their gorgeous property in the Black Hills and at the Hisega Lodge. Family gatherings were always organized chaos, whether at their house on North Washington, Marina Bay or South Port, but they were all filled with her love.

No one went hungry at Lois’s house. Never using a recipe, she would lay out all of ingredients on the counter and went by memory. Favorites included her cheese buttons, watermelon and noodles, cheeseball (no blue cheese for Dave) and caramel rolls. The most memorable for the kids is Sunday Soup. Fresh bread and buns were always ready after church and the smell of soup lingered on our clothes the rest of the day. Her fridge was always full of soda and her pantry with candy to fill her loves full of sugar.

Lois was an organizer of people and resources. She was a fierce force, driving her huge RV anywhere to get to her family, sometimes through snow storms. She never turned down a trip, whether it was a road trip in her Cadillac, cruise or airplane. She was up for it. Her and George gifted their whole family with multiple cruises across the Caribbean, a Disney trip to Florida, Christmas in Hawaii and all were welcome to their timeshare in Cancun every February. Fancy trips to Las Vegas were special to her and George where they both loved their slot machines. We always heard about her big wins! Seeing an Elvis impersonator front row with her daughters is a story she loved to tell about him shaking his hips.

She maintained many friends throughout her life. They traveled together, laughed together and cried together. She enjoyed singing in the church choir as her prideful children, nieces and nephews watched and listened from the pews in awe.

Nothing meant more to Lois than her family. She was proud of them and protective of them. And will continue to protect them as their guardian angel.

Lois will be eternally and forever missed and loved by her children, Dr. Greg (Pam) Scherr, Rapid City, Tammy (The Late Kent) Neustel, Dawson, Brian (Tami) Scherr, Bismarck, Gail (Dave) Heil, Gilbert, AZ, Dr. Steve Scherr, Mandan, and The Late George Michael Scherr; grandchildren, Brandon Neustel, Portland, OR, Amber (Iff) Gambetta, Boynton Beach, FL, Dave Heil, Wayzata, MN, Kylie (Aaron) Waldo, Aberdeen, SD, Dr. Jayme (Alison) Scherr, Rapid City, Dr. Casey (Lexie) Scherr, Kemmerer, WY, Holly (Phil) Nordstrom, Rapid City, Danielle (Taylor) Volk, Mandan, Corey (Cali) Scherr, Rapid City, Riley (Ashton) Scherr, Rapid City, Tyler Scherr, Bismarck, Cole Scherr, Bismarck, Austin Scherr, Mandan; sibling, Bonnie Wentz, Salt Lake City, UT; 24 great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and extended family members.

She was preceded in death by her husband, George; parents Walter and Freida Brown; son George Michael Scherr, son in law Kent Neustel; along with many in law siblings and extended family who we knew were all there to greet her upon her arrival.

The family would like to thank the staff at Edgewood Memory Care for their unconditional love and care for Lois in her last 9 months.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Thankfully, her whole family was together this last weekend for a George and Lois family reunion and everyone got to hug and kiss on her sending her up to heaven.