Lois Maxine Venable Marrow, 1933-2020

Lois Maxine Venable Marrow, an International Mission Board missionary emeritus who shared the gospel among Sub-Saharan African Affinity Peoples in Tanzania, died Dec. 12, 2020. She was 87.

Marrow was born on April 7, 1933, near Geary, Oklahoma, to the late Floyd and Ina Venable.

Marrow graduated from Enid (Oklahoma) High School shortly before her family moved to Victoria, Texas. There her family joined the Second Baptist Church, where she met Maurice Marrow, a member of the staff who was a ministerial student at the University of Corpus Christi. When seeking missionary appointment, she wrote that while they were dating Maurice made it clear that he was a foreign missions volunteer.

On March 12, 1955, she married Maurice, shortly before they graduated from the University of Corpus Christi (now Texas A&M-Corpus Christi), where she received the Bachelor of Music Education.

The Marrows spent several years working in churches in California, where Maurice attended seminary and Lois taught school.

In 1967, the Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board) appointed the Marrows missionaries to Tanzania, where they served about 30 years before retiring.

According to her family, in Africa the Marrows helped lead countless people to the Lord. They also said she loved to play piano and entertain everyone with music and stories of her travels.

Marrow is survived by her husband of 65 years, Maurice Marrow; sons, Rick Marrow (Melody) of Baytown, Texas, David Marrow (Joy) of Alvin, Texas, and Jon Marrow (Vicki) of McAlester, Oklahoma; daughter, Jeanette Nelson of Houston, Texas; brother, David Venable (Jeanette) of Glen Rose, Texas; 13 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

A memorial service was held Dec. 18, 2020, at Cedar Lane (Texas) Baptist Church with burial in Sweeny (Texas) Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to IMB, 3806 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA 23230, or online at www.imb.org/give.

Read an obituary here.