E. Louise (Lou) (Gibson) Ernst 83, of rural Sumner passed away on Thursday, March 23, 2023 in Olney, Illinois. Lou was born on March 6, 1940 in Olney, Illinois, the daughter of Charles and Elouise (Overbay) Gibson.

After moving from Illinois to New Mexico in 1961 and while living there for 14 years Lou expanded her childhood interest of the southwest and American Indian culture. She met and made lifelong friends of several Indian women living on the Santa Domingo and Isleta pueblos. She met them by loading her 4 wheel drive pickup with no longer needed furniture and outgrown children’s clothes. She would drive out to the pueblo, park her truck in the courtyard and several women would slowly approach. After a while she would be invited into one of the women’s homes. Once inside, the home would slowly fill up with other women who would quietly slip in. The women would converse with each other in their native tongue, laugh and giggle but would switch to English when bartering with her. She would trade her items for their handmade pottery, silver/turquoise jewelry (the women or their husbands had made) and one time traded for a large drum made from a hollowed out cottonwood log. She never brought back anything she had taken to trade. If she couldn’t trade for something, she would give her item/s away to whomever needed them. She made these trips many times down through the years.

Lou enjoyed hiking & picnicking with her “coffee group” friends in the Sandia Mountains and the many tram rides to the top of Sandia crest.

Upon moving back to Illinois in 1975 Lou was co owner and instrumental in the startup of Lazy 8. She served as secretary and book keeper from 1976 until her retirement in 2014.

Lou liked telling about driving an army 6x6 towing a trailer on her 1000 mile move from New Mexico back to Illinois and being trapped in a snow storm in Southern Missouri in the process.

She enjoyed taking some of her Indian pottery, jewelry, baskets and the drum when asked by local elementary school teachers to give a talk on her experience with the pueblo Indians. She loved to tell of the look of awe on the children’s faces as they got to file by and beat an actual Indian drum at the end of her presentation.

Having successfully raised two boys, she switched gears and got involved in Girl Scouts with her granddaughter and was a troop leader for several years. She ultimately served one term on the board of the Girl Scout’s Southern Illinois council.

Lou liked to travel and had been in 46 of the lower 48 states. She traveled by pickup camper while in New Mexico and by motor home while in Illinois. She especially liked to take paddle wheel river boat cruises on America’s rivers.

In recent years she organized and attended monthly lunches at different area restaurants with her classmate friends. Having been friends with some of the ladies since before the first grade made it especially enjoyable for all.

She was preceded in death by her parents and sister; Amanda Tipton.

Lou is survived by her husband Lynn of 65 years; son, Gary (JoAnn) Ernst, rural Claremont; son, Bret (Barb) Ernst, rural Olney; granddaughter, Lindsey (Jordan) Tomlin, rural Noble; granddaughter, Heather (fiance Jennaire Lewars) Ernst, Champaign Illinois; grandson, Eric (fiancee Taylor Booker) Ernst, Olney; great granddaughters; Leah and Jamie Tomlin; sister, Janet (Ken) Gower, Scottsboro Alabama; five nieces, two nephews and four cousins.

A funeral service will be held for Lou at 11:00 AM on Monday, March 27, 2023 at Kistler-Patterson Funeral Home in Olney, with a visitation beginning one hour before service time at the funeral home. Interment will follow the service at Amity Cemetery in rural Claremont.

Kistler-Patterson Funeral Home, Olney, IL