Loa "Cotton" Foreman, 83, of Grand Island, died Monday, May 28, 2012, at St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island. Service will be at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, June 2, 2012 in Gollaher Chapel of Trinity United Methodist Church. Pastor Jay Vetter will officiate. Burial will be following at Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Grand Island. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Friday with family receiving friends from 6-8 at Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home.
Loa was born May 27, 1929 to Elijah and Ruth (Walker) James in Maryville, TN. She attended grade school in Tennessee and finished school in Riverside, CA. After graduating high school early she worked as a legal secretary in Riverside. She married Mark Foreman on January 1, 1948 in Quartsite, AZ. After the couple married, they moved to Nebraska. In Lincoln they founded Marlo Bulk Sales, dealing in petroleum. In 1961 they moved to a ranch near Dannebrog and raised charolais cattle while still operating the petroleum business. The couple moved to Arizona in 1978, when they retired from business. In the mid 1990's the couple returned to their Nebraska roots in Cairo and Grand Island. Mark died in 2007.
She was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church and participated in Woman's circle group and various singing groups. She enjoyed reading and singing.
Loa is survived by two daughters and sons-in-law, Helen Foreman and Craig Rodenbaugh of Lincoln, and Carole and Ronald Evans of Grand Island; three grandchildren, Randi Rathbone, Jason Evans, and Jessica Evans; two step grandchildren, Rachel Nielsen and Sara Berglund; four great-grandchildren; four step great-grandchildren; two sisters, Bettye Fisher of OR, and Margie Tangye of AZ; two sisters-in-law, Iva Zajicek and Judy James; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Mark; brother, Jack James; sister, June Lopez; brothers-in-law, John Foreman, Charles Fisher, Wayne Tangye, and Jerome Zajicek.