Lois Coffin, born Lois Hamilton on July 10, 1929, in Jamison, Nebraska, passed away peacefully on March 16, 2026, in Los Alamos, NM. She was surrounded by loving family and caring staff at Los Alamos Assisted Living, where she lived with her devoted husband, Don Coffin. Lois and Don had recently celebrated 76 years of marriage, an inspiring testament of true love to all who knew them.
Lois had a miraculous and challenging beginning on this earth, as she was born six weeks premature at the home of a country doctor; she and her twin brother, Leo, weighed less than 5 lbs together. This was just months before the Great Depression struck the nation. Her father, Ben Hamilton, was a Methodist Minister who was required to move his family every 1-2 years to serve multiple congregations in the rural Midwest, so Lois learned at an early age to make new friends wherever she found herself. Even as a child she had a natural empathy and compassionate heart for all creatures great and small, as well for those in her world that might be less fortunate than herself, which carried through her whole adult life.
Lois met the love of her life her first year in college and happily surrendered her academic pursuits to work as a long-distance telephone operator so Don could finish his college degrees. For the time Don was in college, and when Lois and Don’s first daughter was born, they were living in a travel trailer with no indoor plumbing, an amazing testament to Lois’s adventurous spirit. This willingness to explore the unknown future continued when she followed her husband to Los Alamos, NM, a place she had never even seen, to make their first family home together.
She devoted herself wholeheartedly to being a full-time homemaker, a calling she cherished deeply. Having grown up in the Depression Era, Lois found creative ways to serve nutritious (and usually, if not always, delicious) meals for her husband and growing family on a limited budget. She was “Queen of the casserole,” and the family favorite breakfast, Green Eggs & Ham (inspired by Dr. Seuss’ “The Cat in the Hat”)! The girls’ lunch boxes were always packed with a Peanuts cartoon, a “treat” that was often shared or traded with their schoolmates. Her children hold so much gratitude in their hearts to both Mom & Dad for the nurturing and loving environment in which they were raised. Lois’ warm heart and caring nature were reflected in her empathy, kindness and the strength of her convictions, even when tempered by a characteristic streak of stubbornness and a somewhat exaggerated sense of the importance of punctuality.
Lois was a true outdoor enthusiast; her happiest moments revolved around spending time in nature. Family vacations were usually spent camping and hiking, and in her later years Lois joined the hardy “Wednesday Wanderers,” an all “ladies over 50” group, who enjoyed many adventurous hikes and occasional cross-country skiing outings. Once her girls had “flown the coop,” the adventures continued as Lois supported Don’s dream of becoming a pilot. They spent many years flying, both to visit family and adventuring to see many beautiful natural wonders off the beaten track. It was during this time that Lois encouraged Don to get fold-up bicycles to take along for sightseeing in these remote places. This was the beginning of a long season of bicycle riding and touring which took Don and Lois through their retirement years happy and healthy, and they also passed on this love to their daughters.
Lois’s love for animals was profound and unmistakable. Throughout her life, she could often be found cuddling neighborhood dogs & cats. There was a special place in her heart for her own Sheltie dog, “Charlie Girl”. Her compassion extended even to the smallest creatures; in her later years, every summer she eagerly awaited the return of her friend “Jamie” the chipmunk to the patio area outside their condo. One year “Jamie” showed up with a “girlfriend”, whom Lois promptly christened “Amy”.
Lois will also be remembered for her lively sense of curiosity. She was a voracious reader, and
refused to be limited by a particular topic or genre but eagerly read everything she could get her hands on at the local library. Especially in her later years, though, she had a special love for animal stories.
We will end this remembrance of Lois with some of her own words from her autobiography,
speaking of the most valuable lessons she learned in life:
“My religious views as I grew up were quite narrow. Our move to New Mexico, with its tri cultural environment, helped me to appreciate different points of view. A near death experience started me on a search for meaning in my life. Everything created by God is indeed precious, and all is interconnected.”
Lois was preceded in death by her parents, Benjamin and Mabel Hamilton, and her brothers Arlo and Leo Hamilton. She leaves behind her devoted husband Don Coffin and daughters Gracia Coffin (Don Gettemy) and Marcia Brown (Martin Brown), along with grandchildren Jonathan Brown and Wendy Pettay (Michael Pettay) and four great grandchildren Gavin and
Tatum Brown and Hailey and Reagan Pettay.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Los Alamos Assisted Living, 1010 Sombrillo Court in Los Alamos, on April 28, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. MDT. Our mother’s memory would be honored by a donation to your local Humane shelter, an organization focused on protecting our natural surroundings, or your favorite charity.
Please visit https://www.riverafuneralhome.com to leave messages, condolences and photos for the family to cherish.