Lois Marie (Taylor) McCullars, age 90, passed away on March 13, 2022 in Springfield, MO.  Lois was born on September 11, 1931 on her family farm near Valley Springs, Arkansas, the daughter of Claud E. Taylor and Letha Ozella (Stone) Taylor.  She leaves behind her son and daughter-in-law, Mike and Gayle McCullars of Conway, AR; grandchildren Shawn McCullars and Laura Dolloff of Chicago, IL, David McCullars and Kate Hamlin of Austin, TX, and Elizabeth (McCullars) and Paul Smyers of Conway, AR; twin great-grandchildren Eyan and Chloe McCullars of Austin, TX; one sister, Frankie (Taylor) Beavers of Springfield, MO; one sister-in-law, Edna McCullars of El Dorado, AR; as well as many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and cousins.  She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, John Milton McCullars as well as her parents and older siblings Mildred (Taylor) Turney, Paul Taylor, Doy Taylor, and Herman Taylor.

Lois' formative years were spent growing up with her parents and siblings on the family farm south of Harrison near the town of Valley Springs in southern Boone County, Arkansas. There she learned the importance of hard work, being responsible, hospitality, instilling of Christian faith, and the importance of family – all values that would be important throughout her life. In her early years, she enjoyed school (becoming the Valedictorian of her graduating class), reading, playing games, and walking across the field to the nearby home of her paternal grandparents.

After graduation from high school, Lois worked in a local retail store in Harrison selling clothing.  In later years, she would return to retail sales while working at her sister's and brother-in-law's hardware store in Springfield, MO.  While on a bus trip with a high school friend, she met her future husband, John, who was returning to his Air Force base after a visit to his home in south Arkansas.  After their courtship and marriage, she and John lived in Fayetteville, AR (where her son Mike was born), Valley Springs, AR, Crossett, AR, Little Rock, AR and eventually in Springfield, MO where she spent the remainder of her life.

Lois' Christian faith and church were important to her.  She was an active member for more than 35 years at Springfield's First Baptist Church where she sang in the choir and taught Bible Study and children's Vacation Bible School classes. Then moving across town, she was an active member for about 25 years at University Heights Baptist Church, where she became an ordained deacon and continued as a youth Bible Study teacher. For more than 60 years, she was highly involved with the Women's Missionary Union (WMU), originally an auxiliary of the Southern Baptist Convention but now the largest Protestant missions' organization for women in the world.  She served as her local church's WMU leader as well as in leadership roles with the Missouri state WMU several times.  She was also very involved in youth mission trips and children's summer camps, serving much of the time as a counselor and camp cook along with her husband John.  Through the years, her "kids" greatly admired and respected her and still to this day call her "Mama Lois".  She and John helped build a church in Brazil and in later years put together care packages at Springfield's Convoy of Hope.

Lois loved traveling with John. She was a tour host for two escorted tours to Israel in the early 1970s. But even though she and John together would visit nearly all 50 U.S. states as well as 17 countries outside of the U.S.A., their first love was spending time in the Rocky Mountain National Park in their fold-down, pop-up camper.  During their years together, they hiked many trails including down into the Grand Canyon seven times (after age 50 and once with their grandsons).  She would say that a stranger is a friend you haven't met yet – and no one left her presence without feeling they were friends.  She also had the gift of hospitality and was known for her love of cooking for others.  Even as she spent every day with John during his last three years in a nursing home, she made the best of things with a cheerful spirit and smile.  She was greatly loved and respected and will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, loyal friend, and great role model to so many.

The family would like to especially thank all of the many friends and family throughout her life, as well as those who continued to visit her in her last months along with the dedicated employees at Glendale Gardens for their exceptional care while she was a resident there.

A Visitation will be at University Heights Baptist Church in Springfield, MO at 10:00 a.m. with a Memorial Service to follow at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 2.  Interment will be at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Springfield, MO.  Permanent online condolences, stories and photos may be shared at www.gormanscharpf.com .

Instead of flowers to remember and honor the life and legacy of Lois McCullars, please make any memorial gifts to the University Heights Baptist Church (1010 S. National, Springfield, MO 65804) or Convoy of Hope ( convoyofhope.org ).