Lois Marie Kalusha

Lois Marie Kalusha, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, passed away peacefully in Claremore, Okla., at the age of 88 on Feb. 28, 2025. The sixth of fourteen children, she was born on Nov. 6, 1936, in Broken Arrow, Okla., to Arnie and Nina Dilldine.

Lois was known for her unwavering faith in God and love and dedication for her family and church. With a strong love of singing, she and her sister Betty would regularly perform duets together in church. Gardening was another of Lois’s passions. She planted flowers of all kinds. Pink roses were her favorites. She shared her successful green thumb with others. Tana, her daughter, remembers years ago coming home from work to find a new Rose of Sharon in her own yard, planted there by her mother. The shrub flourishes to this day.

With a kind heart and giving spirit, Lois tended souls as well. She cultivated deep relationships with friends and family, nurturing them with her warmth, compassion and sunny smile to help them through the storms they faced.

Lois is survived by her beloved family, including daughter, Tana Kim and husband Ed Welsh of Claremore, Okla., and Ron and Melissa Kalusha of Broken Arrow, Okla. She was a devoted grandmother to Heather and Stephen Dark of Inola, Okla., Brad Sowells of Pryor, Okla., Tara and Kyle Bunney of Tulsa, Okla., Brynnan Sowells of Claremore, Okla., and Jessica Alley and Jordyn Brown of Catoosa, Okla. She also leaves behind her cherished great-grandchildren, Braden and Lauren Sowells, Jaxon and Jaylen Dark and Hayden and Hudson Bunney.

Lois is also survived by her siblings Gordon and wife Eva Dilldine, Donnie Dilldine, Earnest Dilldine, Johnny Dilldine, Larry Dilldine and Kathy Lamberson, as well as her brother-in-law Jim Daughtery, along with many beloved nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jon Kalusha; son, Billy Joe Sowells; parents, Arnie and Nina Dilldine; and siblings Wayman Dilldine, Ralph Dilldine, Marge Yocum, Mary Lee Dilldine, Betty Daughtery, Shirley Roberts and Bobby Dilldine.

Lois graduated from Sequoyah High School in 1955. She had a strong work ethic and a remarkable work history, running her own cleaning business that served clients such as Hesston Corporation, RCB Bank and Bible Baptist Church in Claremore, before transitioning to a career at the Centrilift pump plant. In 1983 when the company became part of the Baker Hughes cable plant, she was involved in a momentous occasion, the company’s manufacturing and shipping of its first spool, containing nearly 6,000 feet of cable to be used in oil and gas downwell applications. She later retired from this plant alongside her husband, Jon.

For their compassionate and loving care, the family extends their heartfelt gratitude to The Courtyards at Claremore Assisted Living Memory Care and Traditions Health Hospice.

Lois will be deeply missed. Her love and legacy will live on in the hearts of all who knew her.