Lois Janet (Bland) Hawley, age 80, of Mansfield, Ohio, fell asleep in Jesus on Thursday, November 30, 2023, after being tragically injured in a fall outside her nursing home. A dearly loved mother, Lois maintained her kindness, grace, compassion, and love of family and friends, until the very end. Lois loved all she met and often spoke of her friends and family prior to her final days and offered her heartfelt love, appreciation, and farewell.
She was born on December 21, 1942, as the youngest daughter of William Odus Bland and Reverend Beatrice “Bee” Elizabeth (Hendrickson) Bland at her Uncle Clair Louie Hendrickson’s home in Columbus. Her mother Bee remarked of Lois’s “Bright Spirit” towards life. Lois was co-owner of The Hut pizzeria in Mount Vernon with her first husband Joseph Gene Mazza Jr. Years later, she was the co-owner of Buffalo Wings and Rings in Mansfield with her second husband Glenn Hawley. She served faithfully as account clerk for ten years at the Mount Vernon Developmental Center and then as a nail technician at Nails That Look Like Nails until her retirement.
She was the vision of loveliness of heart and spirit. Her children were everything to her and she was the light in their eyes. That meant the world to her. She was more than happy to be the central matriarchal figure in the lives of her children and grandchildren. Lois’s life can be described best in three words: Faith, Family, and Friends. Lois’s life verse can be best described by Ephesians 4:32 which says, “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.”
Survived by her children; Marissa Joy (Scott) Seibert of Hilliard, Gina Renee (Mikel) Sutter of Lexington, Joseph Gene Mazza III of Mount Vernon, Janette Michelle Morales of Columbus; grandchildren, Jordan (Charna) Seibert of Hampton, Virginia, Jarrett Andrew Seibert of Hilliard, Maci Sutter of Lexington, Paris Rodriguez and Bella Martinez of Columbus, Danielle (Jacob) Kincaid and Taylor (Justin) McClanahan of Mount Vernon; great-grandchildren Marcellus Seibert of Hampton, Virginia, Mason and Haisley McClanahan of Michigan, and Lily Ann Kincaid of Michigan, siblings; Harvey Diehl of Texas, Alvia Jean (James) Boice of Ashland and Waneda Webb of Centerburg.
Besides her parents she was preceded in death by her first husband, Joseph Gene Mazza Jr., second husband, Glenn Hawley and a sister, Gladys Clark Peters.
A funeral service will be held on Monday, December 11, 2023, beginning at 3 p.m. at the Dowds-Snyder Funeral Home, 201 Newark Road, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050 where friends may call from 1 p.m. until the time of service. The family will observe a private graveside service in Eastview Cemetery.
Memorial contributions in Lois’s name may be made to the Mazza Family Foundation.
To view this obituary or share a condolence, visit www.snyderfuneralhomes.com
The Dowds-Snyder Funeral Home of Mount Vernon is honored to serve the family of Lois Janet (Bland) Hawley.
Funeral Home: Dowds-Snyder Funeral Home
Website: www.snyderfuneralhomes.com