Lois Lorraine (Langworthy) Pederson, 78, of New Auburn, Wisconsin, went home to be with the Lord on Sunday morning, September 27, 2026. After spending time with family the day before, she rested peacefully through the night and went to be with the Lord before she woke.
Lois was born July 26, 1948, in Owatonna, Minnesota, to Roy and Joyce Langworthy and grew up in Dodge Center with her sister, Loretta, and brothers, Roger and Randy.
On May 28, 1967, Lois married Duane Pederson in Dodge Center. They spent their first several years together in southern Minnesota before moving to the New Auburn area and settling on the Pederson family farm, where they raised their family and farmed for many years. Their 59 years of marriage eventually took them from a Wisconsin family farm to mission fields around the world.
For more than 25 years, Lois and Duane served in missions throughout Asia and other parts of the world. They formed friendships that crossed the boundaries of nations and experienced firsthand how expansive the body of Christ really is.
Lois was a quiet listener, a steady encourager, and a practical helper. Whether on the farm, overseas, or at home with family and friends, she expressed God’s love in simple acts of service, often without recognition. She sewed and quilted, made baskets and crafts, walked alongside people through difficult seasons, and found countless small ways to care for the people God placed around her.
Her family remembers the familiar sound of her sewing machine and the many hours she spent working with her hands. Her son Jon remembers sitting on the floor beside her sewing table as she worked and watching her stitch quilts in her chair beside the window, where the natural light was best.
Lois also loved quiet days by the lake and warm days on the beach, although she was considerably less enthusiastic about actually being in the water, particularly when her children thought flipping the boat over with Mom in it was a great idea. Through all their teasing, her children never doubted that their mother loved them unconditionally.
Perhaps Lois’s greatest legacy is something she taught without saying very much at all: how to be a quiet and willing servant to others. Her children and grandchildren learned from her thatfollowing Christ does not require recognition or being the loudest person in the room.
Sometimes it simply means noticing what needs to be done, caring for the person God has placed in front of you, and faithfully doing the work.
Lois is survived by her husband, Duane; her children, Robin (Rod), Renae (Chris), and Jon (Megan); 13 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; her sister, Loretta; her brothers, Roger and Randy; and extended family and dear friends throughout the world. She was preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Joyce Langworthy.
Lois’s family grieves her absence, but not without hope. “His mercies are new every morning.”
On Sunday morning, September 27, those mercies were new for Lois in a way her family can only begin to imagine.
A memorial service and celebration of Lois’s life will be held Friday, October 16, 2026, at 4:00p.m. at Faith Baptist Church in Chetek, Wisconsin. A meal and time of fellowship will follow.
