Louise (Lieurance) Daniels

This is the story of Louise Daniels. Louise thrived on friendships. She could forge a friendship with the least like-minded person in an outspoken room, and she could grow those friendships into thriving and thoughtful communities. Louise had a thirst for knowledge and a love of words. She read extensively and widely throughout her life and had an academic interest in everything (well, maybe not Math).   She traveled widely with her parents as a child, with her husband and their children, and with groups of friends later in life.  She found a common interest with everyone she knew and affection with most. Her acceptance and appreciation of people’s differences in opinions, values, creeds, theologies, and preferences made her welcome in many social circles.

Ida Louise Lieurance Daniels’ story begins on July 22, 1924 in Wilmington, Ohio, the daughter of Louis Vandervort Lieurance and Lucille Walker Lieurance, whose ancestors settled in Clinton County, OH in the late 1700s. As children, Louise and her older sister, Rosanna (Lieurance Blakely 1921-1920), were encouraged to read books on any subject they chose. This same encouragement would later be granted to Louise’s children, occasionally over the disapproval of their teachers. Louise attended Miami University in Oxford, OH. While at Oxford, she met her future husband, Robert I. Daniels, who was being trained by the navy in radio communications. In 1946, Louise completed her degree with a major in English, Robert returned home from the war, and the two were married. Robert and Louise moved to Corvalis, OR where Robert attended Oregon State University, completed his BS in Math, and took Engineering courses. Louise taught in the OSU English department. They moved to Lima, OH in 1952.  Robert and Louise had four children: Donna Lucille Daniels (Thomas R. Virgilio), 1951; Patty Jo Daniels 1953-1953; Barbara Jean (Robert) Spurgeon, 1954; and Marty Daniels, 1955-1964.

Louise loved her children dearly. She often joined her children in playing games, exploring the woods, making nature collections, keeping pet rodents, looking up stuff in nature guides, and reading. Neighborhood children also played in the Daniels’ backyard playground and Louise keep an interested and affectionate eye on all. One of the favorite pastimes of the neighborhood children was to climb aboard the cable car Louise and Robert had built in their backyard. 

Louise seldom hesitated to postpone whatever she was working on to play with her daughters. She helped mount the specimens in the butterfly collection and type the labels, find frozen anchovies for the pet turtles and meal worms for the iguana, and put together the plastic dinosaur skeleton models. Scooping up detritus from the mud puddles along the field to collect tadpoles prompted discussion from Louise about the major classes of vertebrates and metamorphosis while other moms talked about mud and dirt and the avoidance thereof.

The Daniels often hosted adult parties in their back yard, under the trees. Events might be for coworkers, or fellow members of one of the community groups, or social activity groups.  Sometimes the adults could be heard riding the kid’s cable car late into the evenings, after the children were all supposed to be in bed (much to the amusement of the still awake kids). 

Professionally, Louise spent many years teaching at various institutions.  She worked as a technical writer and editor for Westinghouse Aerospace and taught writing workshops there as well. Later she served as the Director of Vocational Rehabilitation for Lima Goodwill Industries where she redesigned vocational evaluations to better serve the needs of her clients with disabilities.

In Lima, Louise was active in a number of community groups, including Friends of the Library, Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, Lima Garden Club, Life-Long Learning Institute of OSU-Lima, Crippled Children’s Association, Great Books, Adult Study Group at Temple Beth Israel Shaare Zedek, and others. As a Unitarian-Universalist, Louise deeply enjoyed weekly discussions, especially when - as was often the case - impassioned debate ensued. 

Louise was also at various times a member of groups that met regularly for social activities. The eight women members of bridge club met once a month to play bridge for nearly sixty years and were literally lifelong friends. She and Robert were members of two square dancing clubs and traveled to dance conventions. The family took 2 or 3 week vacations every summer. Every other vacation included a visit to Portland, OR to see Robert’s mother.

Louise and Robert’s son, Marty died in 1964, a sadness from which Louise never fully recovered. Their daughters went off to college through the early 1970’s.  The Daniels started more distant travel adventures, including a cruise in Alaska and an Ireland tour.  After Robert’s death in 1991 Louise continued traveling with various tour groups. She also made frequent trips to Wisconsin to see daughter Donna and her grandchildren and to Texas or Oklahoma to see her daughter Barbara. She maintained her activities with community groups and added Majong playing, dining out groups, book discussion groups, and art to her social calendar.

Louise’s daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Bob Spurgeon moved to Lima 10 years ago after they retired. They have been actively helping Louise maintain her tradition of social activity, friendships, and back yard parties on a smaller scale because of Louise’s declining eyesight, hearing and mobility.  Just this past June (a few weeks early for Louise’s actual 99th birthday in July) the Daniels back yard was the venue for the last traditional Louise birthday celebration under the trees she’d loved for 70 years.  Louise passed away at age 99 on Wednesday, August 30, 2023 at the Wingate Senior Living Community.

Louise’s surviving family, include her daughters and sons-in-law and her grandchildren Brian Virgilio (Katy Schuettler), Justin (Sarah) Virgilio, and David Virgilio.  An extensive home library of reference books, novels, humor, science and natural history are a testament to her broad interest in many subjects. Her personal travel photo books are a record of her can-do attitude. Her surviving friends will do their very best to carry on her legacy of community. Louise never stopped learning, never shied away from an adventure, and made a lasting impact everywhere she went.

In accordance with her wishes, she will be cremated. Burial will be in New Antioch Cemetery, New

Antioch, Ohio, where many generations of her ancestors are interred.  Funeral services will be held at the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship House at 875 West Market Street in Lima on Sunday, September 24 at 11 AM with a Celebration of Life Party to be held at the Daniels’ home at 1 PM the same day. HANNEMAN-SIFERD FUNERAL HOME is honored to serve the Daniels Family. Please go to www.hannemanfuneralhomes.com for information or to leave a tribute on her Tribute Wall.

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