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Lois Ruth Cason Wooten (Lois) passed away peacefully at home with her daughter present on August 3, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee. Lois was born April 28, 1929 in Dooly County, Georgia to Ellen Noble and Warren Whitis Cason. Her parents farmed and owned the local General Store and a shingle mill. Lois graduated from Dooly County High School and the University of Georgia with majors in English and Library Science. These early years began her lifelong love of her Georgia Bulldogs and sharing the Farm with those she loved.
Lois was Head Librarian at Northside High School in Atlanta when she met her “Sweetheart,” Frank Wooten, and they married in 1960. They enjoyed life in Atlanta before moving to Savannah in 1965 when Frank joined Southern Nitrogen Company (later becoming Kaiser Agricultural Chemical Company). Lois and Frank dedicated their time, talent, and energies to Savannah and the State of Georgia for decades as an extraordinary team, and she tirelessly continued her civic engagements after Sweetheart passed away in 2007.
Lois shared her talents with a long list of organizations and causes. Her love of the arts and how they impacted both people and community led to her involvement with the Telfair Academy of Arts & Sciences, Owens Thomas House, Savannah Symphony, Savannah Friends of Music, Savannah Arts Council, Georgia Citizens for the Arts (charter member), and Georgia Council for the Arts and Humanities. She supported SCAD with regular attendance at shows and performances and celebrated all SCAD does for Savannah. She received the Thomas H. Gignilliat Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Cultural Progress of Savannah, and the “One Small Voice” Award from the Savannah Children’s Choir.
Education and economic growth were also passions. She was the first woman appointed to the Savannah Economic Development Authority Board and to the Skidaway Marine Science Foundation, where she served as Vice Chair. She was a long serving member of the Savannah Airport Commission and a Trustee of the University of Georgia Foundation. She was honored with the annual Junior Achievement Advocacy Award, which was later renamed in her honor. Lois relished her work as a volunteer with the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens and its Friends of the Coastal Gardens support organization. Lois championed Savannah as an organizer for the 1996 Olympics. She worked hard in local and state political campaigns and for Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter in his successful presidential service.
Lois and Frank loved their church family at Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church. Among other roles, she served on the Board of Trustees and the Care and Share Committee. She was committed to the outstanding music programs of the Church and tried to attend every special program by the choirs. She and Frank also supported Asbury Memorial Church, particularly its creative and outreach programs.
Lois and Frank were devoted to their extended families and friends, many of whom they thought of as family. They loved to travel and were always planning their next trip. In their journeys throughout the US and abroad, they made new friends, many of whom came to visit them in Savannah and corresponded with Lois regularly. Lois wrote notes and sent cards almost every day, and she rarely missed calling family and friends on their birthday. She loved people, loved life, and would often say “my life has been a holiday.” She had a kind word for everyone she encountered and could engage anyone with her storytelling for hours, whether they had the time or not. She gave advice frankly and with love.
Her grandchildren called her “Yo” and that name suited her so well that her family and friends started calling her Yo. After that, when she met new people, she’d say, just call me “Yo.”
Lois and Frank have one daughter, Ann Wooten Langston (Dudley) of Memphis, TN and two adored grandchildren, Francis Byron “Frank” Langston (Lauren) of Park City, UT, and Lois Kathryn “Katy” Langston (“Princess” to her Yo) of Memphis and Solana Beach, CA. She was thrilled to have a great grandson, Carter Richard Langston, son of Frank and Lauren, born June 17, 2024. Lois was close to her one nephew, Norman Page “Sonny” Wilson, Athens, GA, and her “Atlanta children,” who are Frank’s nieces and nephew, Pat Herndon Meadors (Allen), Pam Herndon Metz (Bob), David Herndon (Evan) and Cheryl Herndon and their children, along with her first cousins, John Allen Noble (Carol), MD and William Noble (Liliane), Charlotte, NC. Lois was preceded in death by her parents, Sweetheart, her beloved sister, Norma Cason Wilson Cheek, and her niece, Judith Cason Wilson.
The family is grateful for her dear friends and loving caregivers, Carolyn Hilliard in Savannah, and in Memphis, Mary Lois Stanback and Debra Williams, who gave Yo her latest nickname – “Georgia Peach.”
A graveside service will be at the Friendship Church and Cemetery in Wilcox County, Georgia on Thursday, August 15 at 11 a.m. A memorial service will be at Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church, 429 Abercorn St, on Sunday, August 18 at 3:30 p.m., followed by a reception at The Chatham Club, 15 Liberty St, 14th floor..
The family requests that remembrances be sent to Wesley Monumental UMC Music Endowment, 429 Abercorn St, Savannah, GA 31401 and to Friends of Coastal Gardens, online at friendsofthecoastalgardens.org or by mail to PO Box 60626, Savannah, GA 31420.