In Memory of Lois Drobish

by Linda Winnie

Lois Drobish – Photo courtesy of Linda Winnie

Lois Drobish, long time hostess of Flathead Audubon’s monthly meetings, passed away the evening of November 19, 2018, peacefully, with her family by her side. 

Lois served for 20 years on the Flathead Audubon Hospitality Committee, 16 of those as Chair.

She was a valued participant in our monthly Board meetings over the last decade, and for 15 years served as tracker of the volunteers at the Owen Sowerwine work day . 

Earlier in November, the Flathead Audubon board voted to officially recognize Lois for this outstanding service to the chapter. The front page of the December Pileated Post was devoted to recounting Lois’s service to the chapter, as part of announcing the Recognition award. The plan was to present the Recognition Certificate to her in the hospital on November 20. After she slipped away the evening before, the Certificate was presented on the 20th to her sons, Hart and Kip.

Lois was above all a kind, gentle, and caring person. She spent many hours keeping in touch with and helping out her many friends in the Flathead and around the country, including the members of her Flathead Audubon family. She was also devoted to helping and protecting wild creatures, and often took direct action to support some of her favorite species – writing letters to urge protection of Montana’s wolves, for example, and to ask for restrictions on the pesticides affecting declining populations of pollinator bees. Most recently, she distributed milkweed seeds to anyone who promised to plant them, in order to help migrating Monarch butterflies. Her devotion to her friends and her stewardship of nature will be sorely missed.

All are invited to a memorial for Lois on Sunday, February 17, at Glacier Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, 1515 Trumble Creek Rd, Kalispell. There will be a potluck at 11:30, followed by the memorial at noon.