Obituary of Lois Jean Mahoney

Mrs. Lois J. (Moore) Mahoney, 99, of Columbia, SC, entered peacefully into her eternal rest on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022.  Born in Seymour, Indiana, she was the daughter of the late Myron M. Moore and Marie (Lay) Moore. She was the beloved wife of the late Neville (Mac) T. Mahoney and the mother of two daughters, Sheila A. Mahoney and Marsha (Mahoney) Murdock. Always a devoted wife, mother, and homemaker, she worked at the Federal Land Bank in Columbia for many years. She loved reading, decorating, cooking, sewing, traveling, and gardening, but most especially, she loved singing in her church and playing cards with her friends. She loved teaching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren how to play. A true card shark, she showed no mercy to her opponents. She was a devout member of the First Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana and in Columbia, SC from age14 to 99 and sang in the choir for 75 years. She was also a member of the Columbia Choral Society and the Eau Claire Music Club. In the words of one of her church members, “She was cheerful, funny and so upbeat that you would never have guessed her age or that she had any pain. She will be missed.” 

She was preceded in death by her parents, Myron and Marie Moore of Indiana, her husband Neville T. Mahoney, her sister Betty Ann Schmidt Wolfarth, her daughter Sheila A. Mahoney, and her son-in-law Phil Murdock, Sr. She is survived by her daughter Marsha J. Murdock, three grandchildren, Phillip Murdock (Erica), Michelle Simpson (Jay), Tiffany Melchers (James), and five great-grandchildren: Brice, Madie, and Kobie Simpson, and Clara and Elise Melchers.

Honoring Mrs. Mahoney as pallbearers are her nephews Robert K. Schmidt and John Schmidt, her great-grandson Brice Simpson, her “great-nephew” Dr. Donald C. Eagerton, and First Christian Church members Merle Slaton, Jim Hockman, Wade Guyon, and Guy Schmoltze. Donations in honor of Lois J. Mahoney may be made to First Christian Church, 2062 N. Beltline Rd., Columbia, SC 29204.