In Memoriam: Lois White Wilcox

 With information provided by Candace O’Connor and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch


Lois Linn White Wilcox, a long-time member of JASNA St. Louis, died April 26, 2013, of pneumonia and congestive heart failure.  Her husband of 31 years who died in 1998, Luman Wilcox, was a strong supporter of her interest in Jane Austen and her love of writing.  Lois was a dedicated writer, particularly of humorous verse like limericks and puns.  She often took writing classes, was a longtime member of the Ethical Society of St. Louis, and loved flowers, cooking, and especially cats.  Services were held May 7 at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Ballwin.

The following is one of her best-known limericks was written for a Jane Austen birthday celebration in December 1992 and was published in Persuasions the same year.

 

For the 233rd birthday of Jane,
Let us make it perfectly plain,
T’would be most sagacious
And not AUSTENtatious
To praise her achievements again.

You who see through the fake and the twit,
At your feet (by your fire), we will sit.
As Janeites we’ll boast
It’s our privilege to toast
Our mistress of wisdom and wit!

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One Response to In Memoriam: Lois White Wilcox

  1. Phyllis Thorpe says:

    Lois White Wilcox was awarded first prize in a prose writing contest jucged by Gerald Early. I believe her clever essay focused on her cat. Lois was especially close to Linda Duckworth; I believe their husbands worked together at Union Pacific. I am not always good at remembering details; please forgive any errors due to that. I remember Lois as an insightful, dedicated writer–no better tribute to Jane Austen’s influence, perhaps. With love and gratitude for her presence among us~