Lois Florence Drosin was born June 4, 1919, to Mildred (Isaacs)and Dr. Louis Drosin in New York CIty. She grew up at 302 W. 86th Street where her father had a home medical office. She had an older brother, Mortimer, who born in 1915. Eventually, they were joined by a younger sister, Joan Ellen, who was born in 1927.
Lois married Dr. Arthur Blieden on May 9, 1948.
When they were first married, they lived in Gramercy Park in New York City. They had 3 children: Hali, Andy, and Amy. Before Amy was born, they moved to Teaneck, New Jersey.
After her sister-in-law, May, died in 1961, Arthur and Lois, helped look after May’s 4 young children, often taking one or more on vacations with their own family.
Over the years, Lois took may trips with her younger daugther, Amy.
Amy recalls a funny story that occurred when she was travelling with her parents in the Middle East. One day they decided to take a ride on a camel. They man who owned camels offered to trade one for Lois! He had never seen a woman with red hair and freckles before. Arthur politely declined the offer and kept his wife!
Her brother Morty (Mortimer) died in 1972 when Lois Florence was 53 years old. Her mother Mildred passed away in 1976 at the age of 84. MIldred still lived in the same apartment that Lois had grown up in. She had many beautiful antiques, but would never part with any, even when Lois asked if she could have one.
Lois kept many copies of her resume. The one below will give you an idea of her many accomplishments.
In 1973, at age 54, Lois applied to law school and was accepted into Case Law School in New York. For more than the last fifteen years, she had been a social worker for the Riverdell Schoool System in New Jersey. She decided it was time for a change. However, instead of entering law school she accepted a new job as a state consultant of school social workers for the branch of special education services.
Two of her hobbies were photography and travelling. She also collected interesting rocks and minerals and at one point, had an intereting collection of old farm kitchen tools hanging in her kitchen. She loved to go antiquing. Whenever she returned from a trip she always had a trinket for her children and neices and nephew, such as jewelry or a pretty dish. I do not remember what the boys got, though!
Her husband Arthur Irving passed away on November 5, 1983, in Teaneck, New Jersey, at the age of 72. They had been married 35 years. Her sister Joan Ellen also died in 1983 when she was 56 years old. The summer of 1983 was a difficult one for Lois. Her husband was sick in NJ, and her sister was sick in CA. Lois spent the summer going back and forth from coast to coast to care for both of them.
Her husband had been the trustee of his brother, Bernie’s estate since 1983 when Bernie passed away. Once Arthur died, Bernie’s 4 children petitioned the courts to have Lois named the new trustee.
At some point after Arthur died, Lois met Joe Koepel. They never married but were together until she passed away. After she sold her Prince Street house in Teaneck, NJ, Joe and Lois lived in Fort Lee, NJ, at 2150 Center Avenue, Apt. 15B.
Around the time of her 80th birthday, I asked her what historical event made the most impact on her. She replied seeing Charles Lyndbergh land his plane in Central Park in New York City. She lived within walking distance to the park and remembered everyone running to the park to see this new phenomenon. This probably occurred around 1926 when Lois was about 7 years old. I cannot find any documentation about this, but it shows how just seeing an airplane was an amazing sight back then.
Lois got a chance to meet her third grandchild, Rachel, daughter of her son, Andy, and his wife, Gladis. Rachel was born in March of 2000.
Lois died September 20, 2000. after a long illness. She is buried in Mt. Lebanon Cemetery in the Drosin Family Plot next to between her husband, Arthur, and her brother, Morty.
