Lois Sancho

Lois (Hopkins) Sancho was born on Flag Dayin Kansas City, to Billy Joe and Twila Faye (Wooderson) Hopkins. She was the oldest of their three children, and is survived by her two brothers, Jim Hopkins and John Hopkins, and her daughter, Michelle Kernen.

Lois graduated high school in Miami, Florida and went on to study at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, where she graduated with a degree in mathematics. She had planned to become a teacher but was drawn to the Air Force instead, where she excelled in the field of space intelligence. She spent time stationed in California, Alaska and Colorado, in addition to her decade of service in the Washington, DC area. While in the Air Force she earned a Master's degree in Engineering Administration from George Washington University, and at the time of her retirement had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. She went on to work in the civilian world until she returnedonce again to school to pursue a Master's degree in mathematics education at the University of Arkansas, during which time she spent many years tutoring students and working with educators in the program.

Lois married Russ Sancho in 1980, and they worked together in the space field until 1992, when they retired to Arkansas. They loved lakefront living and traveling around the US and the world. Lois sang in church (and everywhere else) all her life, and loved to crochet, cross stitch, sew quilts and entertain. Lois and Russ moved to Albuquerque in 2016 to be closer to grandchildren, where she was widowed in 2019. Lois and Russ will be interred together at Santa Fe National Cemetery, New Mexico.