Born on June 16, 1936, in Lemmon, SD, to Blanche and James Cain, Lois was the apple of her Daddy’s eye. She often got to go on trips with him in his truck, and she jokingly reminisced that he took her along to keep her siblings safe from her!
Lois’s childhood was spent in and around Lemmon, before the Cain family moved to Manhattan, MT in 1951, when Lois was 15 years old. It was there that she met and married Vern Shorten in 1954. They briefly lived in Gardiner, MT, Oregon, and finally back to Manhattan, where together they raised their 6 children, the “5K’s” and a bonus daughter. Lois & Vern sold their Manhattan home and moved to Sagel, ID in 1991, where Lois loved hosting their “Christmas in July” family reunions at their home, just off the shores of the Pend Oreille River and Lake Pend Oreille. They enjoyed their winters spent in Wickenburg, AZ until Vern passed away in 1999.
She met her dance partner, Frank Conrad, and they married in December 2000. Together they enjoyed renovating their Willow Creek, MT ranch house as well as several campers! Lois and Frank spent most of their time camping, fishing, and her favorite - putting thousands of miles on the trails with their side-by-side. They loved to explore the backroads and trails of Montana in the summers and Arizona in the winters.
Lois enjoyed spending time with her family more than anything. She had a special love for her grandchildren who affectionately called her “Ga Ga, Momma, Grandma, Annie (get ‘yer gun), and Grandma Sugar”. She was lovingly known to all as a dedicated wife, a wonderful cook, and a hard worker. Her “tiny but mighty” stature left others in awe of her strength. As the textiles manager at Gallatin Homes, she could sling a 100# bolt of fabric as if it were a mere 5#s!
There was nothing that Lois shied away from, or that slowed her down. While she was tough as nails, she loved fiercely too. A quick flash of her electric blue eyes warned away anyone who thought they might mess with her or her family.
In her nearly 90 years, Lois never lost her fun-loving spiciness. During the last months of her life, the wonderful staff at Edgewood Memory Care in Belgrade, MT were constantly entertained by her spunk! She came to consider some of them family and would swiftly take care of any sass that other residence might project onto her caretakers by removing one of her shoes and shaking it at them.
While all of us are still grieving her passing on March 11, 2026, we know that her faith in the Lord was strong and has taken her to her eternal and glorious home. Our comfort can be found in knowing her mind is whole again, and her spirit is calm. Just two days before her passing, she said that she “needed to get ready; her Daddy was coming to see her.”
Lois is preceded in death by her first husband, Vern; seven of her eight siblings; her daughter Kendra; and grandsons Wyatt and Brandon.
She is survived by her husband, Frank Conrad of Reed Point, MT; her sister Glenda Rystedt of Redmond, OR; her children, Kayleen Shorten of Columbus, MT; Karolyn (Dan) Shorten of Townsend, MT; Kevin Shorten of Roundup, MT; Kim Shorten of Pocatello, ID; and Tina (Shawn) Beckman of Belgrade, MT. She also leaves behind her many, very loved grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and several nieces & nephews.
Interment will take place at Sunset Memorial Gardens on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at 11:00 A.M. followed by a potluck reception at 45 Beverley Court in Belgrade, MT.
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com [dokkennelson.com]
