Lois Marie Aukerman

Lois Marie Aukerman of Petoskey, Michigan passed away on December 30th , 2020 at Clearview Home in Delafield, Wisconsin. All arrangements have been made by Pagenkopf Funeral Home in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, www.pagenkopf.com. Lois was born in Jackson, Michigan in 1930, and was raised by her adoptive parents, Frances and Harry Monroe Aukerman, along with their sons Harry Jr., Carl, Arlie, and Leonard. Thrifty as a child, she often recalled her youngest brother Leonard saying, “Sis always has money.” Lois followed her mother’s example to work hard for the family. During the war years she helped her mother provide after-school care for children whose fathers were at war and whose mothers worked in factory jobs. Her three oldest brothers served in World War II. Lois graduated from Jackson High School in 1948. In 1950, she moved north to St. Helen in Roscommon County, with her parents, so her father could be closer to good hunting. In St. Helen there was a building boom after the war, and Lois worked for two hardware businesses. She was first hired to work as a bookkeeper, but her abilities as a salesperson made her indispensable behind the counter, as well. Lois learned not only what was needed to build a house, but also how to sell the property on which the house would be built. A customer encouraged her to obtain a real estate license, and she did. She sold real estate both as a Real Estate One franchisee and, later, under her own name. Lois was active in local politics. She was elected Richfield Township clerk in 1963 and served 8 years, during which time a new Township Hall was constructed. In 1972, Lois was elected to the County Board of Commissioners, as one of very few women to serve in that capacity, at the time. She was reelected Township Clerk in 1978 and served until 1982. She was celebrated in 2019 as the most senior and longest continuous member of the St Helen American Legion Auxiliary which she joined in 1950. Lois could not drive past a golf course without remarking that she missed her golf clubs. Selling them, before moving to Petoskey, was a hard decision to make. Her natural ability had made people remark that she could have been a professional golfer. Lois outlived her parents and brothers and many of her favorite institutions, including several churches that she attended downstate. Eventually, the First Church of Christ, Scientist Petoskey (now the Petoskey Christian Science Society) helped her decide to settle here, about 25 years ago. Lois served several years as Reading Room librarian for her church and was an active member. She is fondly remembered there for remarks about her introduction to the church that she loved, which began with a drive “…through the hills of Ogemaw County.” Lois liked to recall that she found her home on Crestview Drive when she asked a man at the nearby Big Boy Restaurant, if he knew where she might look for an apartment. Lois felt blessed to live among very fine people at 1401 Crestview Drive. Lois’s favorite charities were The Salvation Army and The Red Cross.