Lois Thetford, 80, died on May 24, 2026, in Seattle, soon after a cancer diagnosis. Lois had been a vital member of the Seattle Lesbian and Queer community for over 50 years, and her unexpected loss came as a painful shock to many.

Born in Christiansted, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, on November 25, 1945, Lois became an anti–Vietnam War activist while a student at Cornell University. One of her first political activities upon arriving in the Seattle area in 1971 was organizing with soldiers who opposed the war at Fort Lewis Army Base near Tacoma.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Lois was a tireless organizer in the Gay and Lesbian movement, helping found the Seattle Gay Liberation Front and several Lesbian-feminist organizations, including Leftist Lezzies, Groundswell, and the Lesbian Mothers National Defense fund, which provided critical support to Lesbian mothers fighting for child custody. 

In the 1990s, she worked with Dyke Community Activists and Allyship (now Queer Power Alliance). At the time of her death, she was serving on the board of QPA.

Lois’s life, relationships, and politics were always driven by kindness and empathy, and she was a strong advocate for the idea that everyone deserves access to compassionate, competent healthcare. She expressed that commitment in Seattle through her work as a founder of and practitioner for the Fremont Women’s Clinic and the 45th St. Clinic. She was a pioneer in establishing the profession of physician assistant and continued to work as an instructor and mentor at MEDEX Northwest, the University of Washington’s PA education program. She was also a strong advocate for healthcare for the homeless, developing practices and procedures as well as providing hands-on care until her retirement at the age of 80.

She was an avid quilter, birder, and lover of languages, puzzles, and people. She always wanted to be useful, working with younger Queers, answering medical questions for friends, and continuing to instruct her students, even after she retired from teaching last fall.

Lois is sorely missed by her spouse, Jean Rietschel, who was her partner of 50 years; her daughter Robin; her grandson Maxwell; her brother, sister, and numerous other loving family members, along with a whole network of dear friends in the Seattle Queer community and beyond. Her loss left the world a poorer place.

A memorial for Lois is planned in Seattle on October 24, 2026, with specific details to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Seattle Coalition on Homelessness.