Lois Bowers Came passed away peacefully on June 6, at the age of 97.
The daughter of Mary Potter Bowers and Nelson Bowers of Arlington, Lois was born in 1927 and attended Arlington High School. She graduated from Colby College, Class of 1948, an English and art history major and member of Chi Omega sorority. A competitive athlete, her love of tennis began with lessons at Longwood Cricket Club from Hazel Whiteman. She was a tennis camp counselor in New Hampshire and a member of Colby’s tennis team, where she won the Colby Cup. A lifetime learner, Lois attended graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley, where she fell in love with the “City by the Bay.”
Lois met and married Cliff Came Jr., Colby Class of ’42, in 1951 following his return from the Navy after World War II. She raised a daughter and son, following her husband’s advertising career from New York City to Chicago to Simsbury, Connecticut.
Memories of wonderful childhood summers spent at Good Harbor Beach brought her back to the North Shore in the 1980s, where she spent her later years in Rockport and Marblehead.
She was heavily involved with the local arts community. She and her zany, artsy friends, “The Golden Girls,” had many wonderful adventures. You could find them at the Rudder singing and dancing, drink in hand, with top hats, canes and boas joined by Evie the salty proprietor. One memorable summer, Lois ran a successful art gallery on Cape Cod. A woman of many talents, she became a librarian in Arlington and at the National Marine Fisheries in Gloucester. At age 64, she studied for her master’s in library science at Simmons College.
To her beloved family, Lois was Peter Pan, in her pure delight of discovering sand dollars on the beach, jumping in the waves, or finding a four-leaf clover. She’d often remark, “We’re so lucky.” An avid golfer, she played her last round at 96 years old. And she was such fun. She loved to travel and had a special fondness for southern Europe. But her greatest joy was being “Grammy” to her three beloved grandchildren, Jack, Caitie and Georgia. She celebrated every triumph and was the happiest and proudest of grandparents.
Lois was predeceased by her husband, Clifford Came Jr. She is survived by her brother, Robert Bowers of Fayetteville, Arkansas; her children, Clifford F. Came III of Stamford, Connecticut and Pamela Came Barker of Marblehead; her daughter-in-law, Marybeth Succi Came; and her son-in-law, Edmund Barker.
The family extends its grateful appreciation to everyone who has been so loving and caring to Lois over the years — family and friends, the Marblehead Senior Center, Seaglass Village, her caregivers and the staff of Prospect House and Kaplan Hospice.
A celebration of life will be announced later in the summer.
