Lois L. Kroh delighted in spreading joy.

Remembered for her positive attitude, sense of humor, and love for children and horses, the Loveland native was known as “the grandmother of the hill” to the children of her Namaqua Hills neighborhood.

A patron of the arts who was frugal in her personal life, Ms. Kroh provided charitable assistance whenever there was a need. She helped fund the restoration of the historic Rialto Theater; supported art shows, plays and poetry readings; and provided scholarships for young musicians.

Before passing away in 2006 at the age of 93, Ms. Kroh established a Designated fund with the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado to benefit two nonprofit agencies.

“It was a great source of comfort to her to know that grants would be awarded to support ‘her children’ through Hearts and Horses Therapeutic Riding Center and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Larimer County,” said attorney Lynn Hammond.

“The Community Foundation staff was sensitive, supportive and flexible in assisting Ms. Kroh to realize her philanthropic dreams,” Hammond said. “The Community Foundation provided a vehicle to assure her that her love for children and horses would be continued by a professionally managed entity after she was gone.”

Pictured Above: Esther, 10, pets Blakken during a session at Hearts & Horses Therapeutic Riding Center in Loveland, a grantee of the Lois L. Kroh Fund. Therapy riding benefits include strengthening cognitive thinking, problem-solving, confidence-building, socialization and achieving individual goals.

PIctured Above: Lois L. Kroh treasured celebrating Easter with her neighbors, the Armstrong family. She is pictured with two members of the Armstrong family, siblings Ken Armstrong and Margaret Armstrong Vera, in 2002.

 The following was written by Norma Hammond and Janet Armstrong, Lois L. Kroh's friends and neighbors. 

Lois L. Grimes Van Sant Kroh was a true Loveland native. She was born on a farm in 1913, attended public schools and graduated from Loveland High School in 1931. After attending colleges in California and Missouri, Lois returned to Loveland where she married her high school sweetheart, John M. Van Sant. They lived in cabins, boom towns and government housing during the Depression years as they followed his job with the Bureau of Land Management. John passed away in 1961.

In 1965, she married George Kroh, a good friend from high school. They built one of the first homes in Namaqua Hills and also spent part of each year in Paradise, California where Lois was active in the arts community. She appeared in plays and assisted with the planning and construction of a performing arts center. George died in 1987 and Lois became a permanent resident of Loveland. She placed the sculpture “The Football Players” in Loveland’s Glen Arbor Park as a memorial to George.

She continued to satisfy her passion for the arts and for young people by offering significant support to programs such as the Rialto Theatre, Habitat for Humanity, Mountain View Aquatic Center swimming pool and educational programs like the Third Grade Dictionary Program, that provides dictionaries to students in the Thompson School District. If there were needs, Lois was on hand with monetary assistance.

In contrast to her generous nature with philanthropy, Lois was extremely frugal with her personal expenses and loved a good bargain. She is well- remembered for her positive attitude, sense of humor and spontaneous, witty remarks. Direct in her opinions, she shared exactly what she thought. She was closely involved with the neighborhood children and kept scrapbooks of their activities. On Halloween, Lois always required a “trick” from the children before she would present a treat. After the “trick” was performed, Lois invited the children to come inside and visit while enjoying popcorn and cider. Another tradition she especially treasured was celebrating Easter with her neighbors, the Armstrong family.

She was fond of decorating with pine cones and wild flowers and enjoyed food, drink and especially conversation around her dining room table. Lois was fiercely independent and regardless of failing health, remained in the home that she loved until her death in 2006.

Lois was very fond of children and horses. At age 86 when she visited Hearts and Horses Therapeutic Riding Center, she was delighted to mount one of the horses and take a trip around the riding ring.

Due to her immense love for both the Hearts and Horses Therapeutic Riding Center and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Larimer County, it caused her great joy to have the opportunity to continue giving to these organizations long after she was gone, through the Lois L. Kroh Fund at the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado.