Obituary: Lois Thetford, 1945–2026

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