Lois Ford
Born in Piedmont, South Carolina, on November 5, 1928, Lois is the ninth of 11 children. Being part of such a large family was good training for serving on the mission field, because “we learned to get along. We had to work hard together.” During the Great Depression, the family didn’t have much, but her parents placed a high value on church and serving the Lord. Six of the 11 siblings later became full-time Christian workers.
Lois attended Kentucky Mountain Bible College and earned her degree in education at Marion College (now Indiana Wesleyan University). She taught in Logansport, Indiana, for two years before applying for missionary service with World Gospel Mission. In 1955, she arrived at Southwest Indian School, located just outside Phoenix, Arizona. SIS was a boarding school for Native American children.
Even though health concerns have slowed her down, Lois continues to have an impact with many of her former students through Facebook. “We just keep plugging away at it. We just keep showing the ways of the Lord.”