Kirstin Moritz: Memories of Lois Randall

Recollections of Lois Randall by Kirstin Moritz, January 2014

I first met Lois before I married Fred Moritz, so that must have been in 1964.  We married in 1965. Lois was married to Fred’s cousin, John Randall.  The Randalls were part of our lives from then on.  Since we lived in Boston several times, we were often together in the same area and saw each other often.  Since Lois loved her California days, we bonded over a common love of California and saw them there when they visited and we lived there.  John’s mother, Mercedes, was also part of our life and invited us to Peacham  to visit, often with John and Lois.  We also spent a number of holidays, Xmas or Thanksgiving, in NYC at the apt. of Mercedes and Jack with John and Lois.  Mercedes was the sister of Fred’s father, Arthur Moritz.

Lois and John had no children of their own and for that reason I think they were very fond of our kids.  Kara shared a birthdate with John, Nov. 26.  Thus many common birthdays were celebrated together.  They knew our son, Eric Albert Moritz ( Albert after the father of Mercedes and Arthur Moritz,) and the night that Eric died we had been to a party at John and Lois’ house on Roundwood Rd.   Then when Rachel was born a few years later, they had Kara overnight at their house.  I include some photos of that time. Kara and Rachel both had overnights in the Roundwood Road house.  John and Lois and Fred and I were favorites of Mercedes’ brother, Sidney Moritz, and all of us had many happy days spent at Sidney and Helen’s house in Tappan, NY.  Everyone loved Sidney and his movie nights in the basement and viewing his many NYC photos.

Several memories continue to please me.  John loved to play piano and would always play when we visited.  When he got too old to somehow enjoy it, he gave Rod all of his sheet music books and some of the actual music scores.  He was very good. Lois loved to have him play for us also. They both loved books and you knew that when you visited, you might walk away with a few books or at least learn of new good books.  You could browse books forever in their house and as Lois was in the publishing business, there were always up to date books present on the coffee table which was always obscured by many, many books.  For a few years, Lois would cook dinner once a week or so for us and she was a good cook.  She did lose interest in cooking later, but we would eat in their dining room surrounded by the toy trains that John collected.  Later, they ate only in the kitchen as the dining room table was piled with books.  Kara and Rachel have their own memories of Lois and I am pleased to see that books figure in those memories also.  Lois would have liked that. 

Lois loved her cats and her California friends and her memories of growing up in California.  Her college girlfriends, The Birds, were such a big part of her life and we met many of them when we lived in California.  She was very close to her parents, being an only child.  We never met her parents but we knew them from the many stories she told.  I have images clearly in mind of her parents, her friend, Barbie, her cousins, John and the piano which brought them together in California, the days of reunions in Berkeley, etc.  Lois repeated these stories often and somehow we did not tire of them.  There was always the question of whether they would return to California after retirement.  But by then it was too late to start anew and they never made it back permanently.  It is fitting they are both buried in California.

It seemed that whenever we lived near them, we all included each other in our lives and never had a party or get together without thinking if we should invite them over also.  Lois was a good Democrat, something I shared with her.  She was very proud of the publication by Beacon Press of The Pentagon Papers while she worked for Beacon.  She also loved her copyediting jobs and to the end of her working life, told fascinating tales of the authors whose books she worked on.  She formed good friendships with many of her authors and they valued the great care she gave to their works and her encouragement of their writing lives. 

Lois also introduced Rod and me in 1997 by telling me the story of a Xmas party at the Doherty’s house where Rod was present.  She told me that he had lived abroad in Africa and I immediately thought he might be a kindred soul.  Through her reference and the good graces of Paul Doherty, Rod and I did meet.   Lois and John’s last expedition outside Newton, I believe, was to attend our wedding in 2000 in Falmouth, MA.  Lois really liked Rod and they got along very well which was nice to see.  Rod had concern for both John and Lois and worried about Lois in her final years as we all did. 

Lois also was clear in her championing of the underdog.  She said that was why she was such a strong Democrat.  Her father also was a very strong Democrat and favored the side of the poor and ignored of society.  She was thrilled when Obama was elected and so pleased that a black man was now President.  She was absolutely adamant in her political views and even in personal situations, favored the poor and underdog person if only for those reasons.  I am sure that were there to be a heaven, Lois would wish to sit near FDR and Eleanor for sure.  And she would be making sure that her beloved parents and John were sitting there with her.