Lois Elaine (Pennington) Strong, formerly of Kaneohe, Hawaii, died peacefully at her home in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, on August 17, 2021. Born August 8, 1924, in Alliance, Ohio to Henry and Ota Pennington, she grew up in Pontiac, Michigan where she graduated with honors from Pontiac High School in 1942. A real-life "Rosie the Riveter", Lois worked in a torpedo factory during the Second World War. She married her high-school sweetheart Harold Strong, a second lieutenant in the US Army on May 6, 1944, in Manhattan, Kansas. They remained married for 62 years until his death in October 2006. As a military spouse, Lois raised four sons while the family was stationed in Hawaii, Germany, Michigan, Maryland, Kentucky, Texas and Kansas. After their military tour, they lived in Nashville, Tennessee before settling in Raleigh, North Carolina where she launched a career in state government, serving at both the General Assembly and the Department of Commerce. In retirement, Lois pursued her passion for art, languages and animals. She learned to paint and sculpt. A voracious reader, she shared her love of books by volunteering as a reading teacher and later as the librarian at her retirement community.
Lois is preceded in death by her husband Harold, and son Hal (Harold Strong Jr.). She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law: Linda Strong, Thomas and Megan Strong, Daniel and Toni Strong, Michael and Kimberly Strong; along with four grandchildren and their spouses: Amber and Jarad Makaiau, Adam and Judy Strong, Natalie Strong, Leah Page and four great-grandchildren.
A Memorial service will be held at a future date in Honolulu, Hawaii where she will be inurned with her husband Harold at the
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
