Lois Malone McCoin, nee Sarah Lois Malone, died on November 2, 2017, in Pasadena, California after a short illness. Born in Paris, Texas on April 28, 1921, to Henry Thomas Malone and Mittie Elizabeth Whitney Malone, she was an adventurous and creative woman. As a child she took art lessons from Miss Golden Alexander, her mother’s friend, and later became an accomplished ceramicist. She was a founding member of The Paris Art Club and showed her work at the Plaza Art Gallery and East Texas State University. She had many artist friends in northeast Texas and Commerce. At the end of her life she was still interested in drawing and painting. She loved flowers and eagerly sought out many varieties keeping her mother’s irises all her life. A favorite task was collecting seeds at the end of season and waiting to see what bloomed in the spring.
On November 15, 1942, she married Roy H. McCoin. When he returned home from service in World War II she assisted him at his business Publishers Engraving Company and other endeavors. Lois worked at Campbell Soup Company (Paris) in the comptroller’s office for 22 years. After her retirement she concentrated on her studies at Paris Junior College as she had during much of her working life. Lois took courses at Paris Junior college beginning when she was very young and her father gave her book money. She graduated from East Texas State University Commerce in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Art having found ceramics her passion. Since East Texas State University was to become part of the Texas A&M system the next year she was given the option of a Texas A&M at Commerce diploma or one from East Texas State. Lois proudly chose to be one of the final graduates to receive a diploma from East Texas State University.
Lois was preceded in death by her husband Roy, three brothers, Floyd E. Malone, William James “Bill” Malone Jr., and Bob Henry Malone; and two sisters, Lola Malone Higby and Ola Elizabeth Malone. Lois lost her mother at 12 years old and her father as a young adult. She was very fond of her Whitney and Malone cousins. She had a lifetime interest in genealogy and was a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Lois was a longtime member of the First Christian Church in Paris. After her second retirement as an artist she moved to California to live with her daughter Susan where they enjoyed a busy and happy life.
She is survived by her daughter Susan McCoin (Pasadena, CA), her grandson Mark M. Kataoka, his wife Cheryl (Arlington, VA) and their children Maris (San Francisco, CA) and Nolan (Arlington, VA) and brother-in-law Bob Higby (Amarillo, TX). Throughout Texas Lois has many beloved nieces and nephews from the combined Malone, Whitney, and McCoin families.
A graveside service will be held at Highland Cemetery (Deport) on November 1st, at 1:00 PM. Fry & Gibbs Funeral Home has charge of the burial arrangements. Following the service a reception will be held at 4120 Morningside Drive in Paris.
