Lois A. Hunt

Lois Ann Hunt, 80, of Johnston, formerly of Diagonal, Iowa, passed away peacefully with her daughters at her side Thursday, July 7, 2022. Visitation will be held at the United Church of Diagonal 5 - 8 p.m. Monday, July 11. A Celebration of Life begins at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 12 at the church. Burial is in the Diagonal Cemetery.

Memorials are designated for the United Church of Diagonal and the Diagonal Cemetery. Armstrong Funeral Home in Mount Ayr is in charge of the arrangements.

Lois was born April 7, 1942, to Bill and Margie (Pfieffer) Jeans in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Lois, nicknamed, “Cookie”, attended Ponca City School followed by Oklahoma State University where she graduated with a home economics degree. She was hired by Beaver County Extension in Oklahoma as an extension agent in home economics and 4-H and then God interceded and sent her to a similar position in Osage County, Oklahoma. It was there that she caught the eye of a bachelor rancher, Frank Hunt. After a whirlwind romance of six months, they married on Aug. 27, 1966.

Two years later they moved to southwest Iowa. Frank fell in love with the dark soil and pasturelands. They settled in Diagonal where they raised three daughters. Cookie was well-known for her volunteer work with Ringgold County 4-H as co-leader of the Jolly Jinglers 4-H club, 4-H Youth Committee, Extension Council, and a 4-H fair judge for area counties. Cookie was active in the county Cowbelles. She loved teaching high school Sunday School classes alongside Frank. She also had the privilege of sewing wedding dresses for many young brides in the community.

During the farm crisis of the 80s, Cookie’s dining room table became her office as she helped hundreds of farmers apply for assistance. Following Frank’s passing 35 years ago, she was hired by the SWIA Development District. She received her master’s degree from Iowa State University Extension and had a 20-plus year career with them where she served as a Community Development Specialist, Area Extension Director, Interim State Director of Continuing Education and more.

Upon her retirement you couldn’t keep Cookie away from ISU basketball games. She bled red and gold (and orange and black for OSU). Her favorite games of the year were when her two alma maters played each other, and every grandchild would say “Grandma can’t lose today!” Cookie loved her grandchildren’s events including 4-H, FFA, baseball, rodeo, basketball, “wrestling” as she would pronounce it with her Oklahoma drawl, football, speech events and so much more. She loved to say each time she attended, “S/he did well because Grandma was here!”

Lois was preceded in death by her parents, her brother and her husband Frank.

She is survived by three daughters: Vanette (Travis) Grover of Cresco, Billi Hunt (Mike Elam) of Urbandale and Bobbi (Kevin) Hansen of Chillicothe, Missouri; 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.