A Legacy of Familial Ties to Messiah Leads to a Legacy of Service and Giving Back
Messiah alum Lois Thuma's ties to the university started long before she came to campus as a first-year student in 1962. Lois's parents, Benjamin and Mary Ellen Thuma, both graduated from the institution in 1928 when it was called Messiah Junior College. Benjamin briefly taught at Messiah and later was a member of the Board of Trustees for 35 years. Lois and her siblings, Janet, Kathleen, and Richard, grew up going to many musical events and lectures at Messiah. According to Lois, when it came time to choose a college there was "no question" as to where they would attend. Their parents proudly sent all four siblings to their alma mater.
Lois chose to pursue a career in nursing, which meant that she spent two years at Messiah and then went to Harrisburg Hospital for three years of clinical work to obtain her RN. While a student at Messiah, Lois was very involved in the service aspects of the institution, including Gospel Teams and the Choral Society. She credits these experiences with giving her a strong foundation to live a life of service to God and others, a concept that has guided her throughout her professional career.
After her years at Messiah and subsequent graduation from Harrisburg Hospital's nursing program in 1967, Lois embarked on an exciting professional journey that allowed her to experience many different kinds of hospital settings and patients. She started her career at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, where she worked in surgical nursing. From there she moved to Reading, PA Hospital School of Nursing, where she taught nursing classes. Lois then volunteered with Mennonite Central Committee at an Appalachian regional hospital in Kentucky where the majority of her patients were coal miners and their families. Then in 1974, Lois moved back east to work at Hershey Medical Center and stayed there until 1980. At that point in her life, she felt a strong calling from God to embark on international mission work, and she followed that call to Macha Hospital in Zambia, which is a mission hospital of the Brethren in Christ Church.
While in Zambia Lois oversaw the pediatric wing and also assisted with the maternity patients. She helped deliver many babies, including a set of triplets! The condition of the hospital and the quality of medical equipment available were less than ideal, but even despite these challenges Lois stayed on at Macha for three years. Her time at Macha Hospital reinforced her desire to live a life of service, thus cementing the calling that was planted in her as a student at Messiah.
Upon returning to the United States in 1983, Lois worked in behavioral health nursing for 27 years until her retirement several years ago. In her free time, she volunteers with various organizations, including assisting with activities for residents at a local nursing home and helping with Meals on Wheels. She finds the most fulfillment in life by helping others and lending a listening and supporting ear.
Lois considers the words of the popular hymn "Make Me a Blessing", which was sung frequently by her class during nursing school, to be quite inspirational and has made it a theme song of sorts for her life:
Make me a blessing, O savior, I pray,
Make me a blessing to someone today.
Lois's desire to bless and support others also extends to her alma mater, which she assists financially through the Heritage Society and by giving towards projects that resonate with her, such as the Collaboratory and the recent renovation of the Engle Center. When asked why it is important to her to give back to Messiah, Lois stated that it is because "Messiah is a Christ-centered institution that makes an impact on the world".
We are so proud of alumni like Lois who have used the education they received at Messiah to make a difference in the lives of others. Lois, and those like her who give so faithfully to Messiah, are ensuring that future generations of students will continue to learn the important lesson of living a Christ-centered life and who will be the future change-makers that our world so desperately needs.
