On Friday, December 22, 2023, Lois Dillon, loving mother and matriarch passed away at the age

of 97.

Lois Marie Hatton (Dillon) was born on August 26, 1926 in Monte Vista, Colorado to Willis and

Genette (Thayer) Hatton. After finishing Monte Vista High School, she attended and graduated

from beauty college in Denver. After returning to Monte Vista, she married Gene Dillon on

December 26, 1945. Residing in the Center area, then later the Sargent area, they raised four children

on their farm.

As a child, Lois enjoyed camping with her family. She loved to sing and in high school she sang

in a girl's quartet that traveled all around Colorado. She learned to sew and would use this craft

all her life - making quilts, clothes for her daughters and herself, various costumes for

extracurricular school and church activities. Her family attended the First Baptist Church in

Monte Vista. She was a member until the church closed, serving in many capacities - teaching

Sunday classes, summer bible school, and church bookkeeper.

A stay-at-home wife and mother, she liked to keep busy so she sat through many swimming,

dance, and baton twirling classes served as Boy Scout leader, and volunteered for many of her

children's school functions. She was an active member of Heart and Eagle Club (a Colorado

Federated Women's Club) and belonged to several quilting clubs.

Lois always kept the farm records, but as the children got older, she decided to work outside the

home. Among other places, you may have seen her at Cominair Crop Dusting, Center Motor Car

Co., or SLV Information Center. After her husband passed away, she bought a home in Crestone

Baca area and loved hiking through the Sangre de Cristos. She enjoyed going on cruises and

traveling both in the US and abroad with friends and her growing family. She started taking a

variety of classes including swimming and flying lessons. Again, she kept busy with volunteer

work including helping homeless and abused women throughout the valley. As she matured, Lois

enjoyed painting and soon pictures of butterflies, her flowers, and birds that she fed brightened

her home.

Lois is preceded in death by her husband Gene Dillon, parents Willis & Genette Hatton, an infant

sister Elsie, brother Dale Hatton, and sisters Ruth Wadleigh and Velma Helmick, along with 4

nephews and 1 niece. Survivors include sons Gary Dillon (Patty) of Ft Worth, TX and Joe Dillon

of Monte Vista, CO, daughters Judy Dillon Hinton and Kathy Dillon Tonso (Steve) both of

Monte Vista. Other family survivors include 10 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and 2

Great-great grandchildren, along with 9 nieces, and 4 nephews and their children.

Cremation was chosen with a celebration of life following at a later date. In lieu of flowers,

donations may be made St. Jude's Children Hospital www.stjude.org/donate

Rogers Family Mortuary is in care of the arrangements. To leave online words of comfort,

Tributes and remembrances for Lois's family, please visit www.RogersFunerals.com