Lois Faye Silvanik

LOIS FAYE SILVANIK, 95, of Arthur, IL passed away at 2:30 A.M. on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, at her residence in Arthur, IL.

A celebration of Lois’s life will be held at 1:00 P.M. on Sunday, January 14, 2024, at the Vine Street Christian Church, 249 South Vine Street, Arthur, IL. Pastor Bob Silvanik will officiate. Burial will be in Rose Hill Burial Park in Akron, OH at a later date.  The Edwards Funeral Home is assisting with arrangements.

Lois was born on August 25, 1928, in Akron, OH, a daughter of Udo Jacob and Grace Ellen (Leonard) Grafhorst. She married Robert Alexander Silvanik in May of 1953. He passed away in April of 2015.

She is survived by two children; Connie Lefaivre and her husband Peter of Fort Mitchell, KY and Bob Silvanik and his wife Amy of Arthur, IL; a son-in-law, Alan Railey; four grandchildren, Michael Railey and Taylor Birk and her husband Brandon all of Louisville, KY; Jackson Silvanik and his wife Heather and Jordan Silvanik all of Lexington, KY, and four great-grandchildren, Mason and Ireland Birk and Owen and Ethan Silvanik; nieces, Grace (Pisciotta) Morris, Sue (Hornbeck) Conery, and Patty Moore, as well as several other special nieces and nephews.  

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Robert, a daughter, Kim Railey, a grandson, Gentry Aubrey, siblings, James Grafhorst, Hilda Hornbeck and her husband George, Grace Moore, Jessie Ruggles, and Connie Pisciotta and her husband Tommy. She was also preceded in death by a niece Amy Jo Ruggles and nephews, Patrick Moore, and George Hornbeck Jr. 

Lois graduated from East High School in Akron, Ohio in 1946. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education from Akron University.

Lois held many positions throughout her life, but what she will be most remembered for was the way she always cared for people. Showing God’s love to others was natural to Lois. 

In her last years she was an active member of the Vine Street Christian Church in Arthur, IL, where she spread God’s Love through her prayerful concern and genuine compassion for all people, of all ages and backgrounds, from those closest to her to those she never met but carried in her heart. 

Lois was an avid reader, especially murder mysteries, poetry, and spirituality. She followed politics on a daily basis, and always expected much more from elected officials. She enjoyed feeding her family of birds and squirrels, especially her friend and patriarch squirrel “Oscar.” Her life was planned around various sports TV schedules, and she rarely missed a Cubs, Bengals, Reds, Kentucky Wildcats, and Fighting Illini game. 

Lois always enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, but when she could not be with them face to face, she kept up with them through Facebook and, of course, by sending a multitude of cards to those in her life. She was especially blessed by her friends Tara, Mary, Teresa, Renie, and Susan, and her great nephew Wyatt. Special thanks to her beloved care team at the Arthur Clinic and the caregivers at Sarah Bush Lincoln and Carle. And finally, because there’s not enough ink in the world to list everyone, all her old and new friends that she made wherever she happened to be.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Vine Street Christian Church, Arthur, IL, or Friends of Gentry Aubrey Memorial Fund (FOGA), 620 Sunset Court, Kenton Hills, KY 41011 - in Lois’s memory.