Lois Margaret (McDaniels) Heister

Lois Margaret Heister, 81, a lifelong resident of Albuquerque, died Tuesday, May 2, 2023. She was the third of four daughters born to Ray and Verna Maring McDaniels on June 16, 1941, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Lois graduated from Albuquerque High School in 1959 and worked for Mountain Bell Telephone, Alison Engineering, and retired from the New Mexico Children's Youth and Families Department in 2004. She loved being a member of the Young at Heart Gospel Choir and singing in its Ageless Angels ensemble for many years, and cherished the friendships she had in it. Lois was a member of Sandia Baptist Church. She loved reading books, watching movies, playing games, listening to music, the color blue, and spending time with her friends and family. Lois will be remembered as a beautiful, gentle, and loving woman with a great smile and sense of humor.

She is survived by her son, Dan Heister and wife, Amanda, of Hobbs, NM; daughter, Leslie Gulley and husband, Jeromy, of Albuquerque; grandchildren, James Heister and Ivory Heister, both of Hobbs, and Willow Gulley of Albuquerque; sister, Joyce Davidson and husband, Ken, of Antelope, CA; and numerous nieces and nephews, other family members, and many dear friends. She was preceded in death by her husband of 31 years, L.B. "Les" Heister, in 1996; parents, Ray and Verna McDaniels; and sisters, Arlene Partin and Shirley Gaskill, both of Indiana.

Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., at Sandia Baptist Church, 9429 Constitution Ave NE, with Andy Donaldson officiating. A reception will take place immediately afterward at the church. Private interment will take place at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery.

Memorial Contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, online at www.woundedwarriorproject.org or at P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516.