Lois Jean (Baumgardner) Downey Traugh, 84, of Asheboro, N.C., went to heaven July 27, 2015.
Lois was born February 11, 1931, in Hamilton, Ohio, to Walter and Grace Baumgardner and gave her life to the Lord at a young age. She graduated from Napoleon High School and attended Ohio State University. She met Paul R. Downey at Cypress Wesleyan Church in Columbus, Ohio, and they married in 1951. Together they, along with their four children, fulfilled their missionary call with Wesleyan World Missions (now Global Partners) to Curacao, Brazil, Guyana, and Suriname, along with years of pastoral ministry in Ohio and Michigan. They served as missionaries in residence at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, S.C. and then retired there.
Lois loved people and was known for her smile, her joy, and her total faith in God. She loved the Word of God and read the Bible through for many decades. As an active member of Alive Wesleyan Church, Lois served in the Stephen Ministry program, visited shut-ins, and faithfully attended church. After being widowed for nine years, she happily married Hubert Traugh. She was a mighty prayer warrior, loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
She was preceded in death by Rev. Paul R. Downey, her husband of 50 years; Hubert Traugh, her husband of nine months; granddaughters Bethany Saunders, Lindsie Downey, and Lisa Downey; and son-in-law D. Stephen Saunders. She is survived by daughters Carolyn R. Saunders, Barbara Heyd (Clive), sons David Downey (Helen), Edward Downey (Jessica), stepdaughters Shelley Wheeler (Mike), Kathy Traugh, 14 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and sister Naomi Koch.
A memorial service will be held at Alive Wesleyan Church, Central, S.C., on Saturday, August 8, with Dr. Fred Andrews officiating. Arrangements include pictorial memories of her life at 1:00 p.m. with the memorial service at 1:30 p.m.
