ALEDO – Lois Juanita Herr Banta, 92, of Aledo, Texas, passed away at home on August 24, 2025. She was born to parents Willard Herr and Maxine Brock Herr on August 8, 1933, in Nappanee, Indiana. Her childhood years were spent on the large family farm, and those idyllic times remained her fondest memories throughout her life. She often spoke of how she drove a team of work horses from a very young age, how she loved to ride her pony, Flash, and how much fun she and her siblings and cousins had playing in the barn. She was the eldest of 11 siblings. She graduated as valedictorian from Knox High School in Knox, Indiana in 1951, where she also was homecoming queen and head cheerleader. She went on to receive her undergraduate degree in Biology at Purdue University in 1956. At Purdue, she was in the homecoming court and was elected as the 1954 Cherry Blossom Princess for the state of Indiana, and graced the cover of the Indianapolis Star Sunday magazine. She earned a Master’s degree in Spanish at Texas Christian University in 1972. She always loved the academic world and being a student, and began work on a Ph.D. in English Literature at TCU, but left the program to care for her husband, John W. Banta, during his lengthy illness. He passed away in 1986, and left her brokenhearted for the rest of her life. Lois met John at a high school basketball game, where he (a college freshman attending his alma mater’s game) saw her cheerleading. The story goes that he told all of the other young men, “hands off, she’s mine,” then went home that night and declared to his parents that he had found his future wife. They were married on June 27, 1954. Together they raised three children, Mike, Paul, and Lynn. Lois’s plans to live her life as a farmer changed, as John was an Air Force pilot, which required a lot of moving. But her strength and determination pushed her forward in a new direction and she was at the front wave of feminism, never accepting being considered inferior to men in any way. In addition to pursuing advanced degrees, Lois worked in the Personnel Office of Texas Christian University from 1977 to 1994, advancing to the role of Director of Benefits. She enjoyed cross stitching, reading, crossword puzzles, gardening, raising Arabian horses, and all things British. During her life she enjoyed traveling to Europe (especially loving England and Spain), Asia, Canada, and all over the United States. She built her dream house and horse barn on 12 acres in Aledo, Texas in 1996, a replica of a stately English country home that she saw in a book. She named the property Windrush Farm after the River Windrush, which flows through the Cotswolds in England. Lois was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, John W. Banta; her sister, Kay Peters; and her brothers, Richard Herr, Donald Herr, Frank Herr, Ned Herr, Gary Herr, and David Herr. She is survived by her children, John Michael Banta and his wife, Pamela, of Elizabeth, Colorado, Paul Wesley Banta and his wife, Elizabeth, of Laveen, Arizona, and Lynn Banta Gray Ruvang and her husband, John, of Bartonville, Texas; sisters, Peggy Hollingsworth and Carol Connor; brother, George Herr; grandchildren, David Banta, James Banta, Blaire Elizabeth Banta, William Gray, and John R. Gray; great-grandchildren, Shane Olivenbaum, Aubrey Banta, Jordan Banta, Lylian Banta, John L. Gray, and Mathilda Gray; and numerous nieces and nephews. The family has entrusted Greenwood Funeral Home on White Settlement Road in Fort Worth, Texas with the arrangements. A visitation is scheduled for 1 – 3 p.m. Saturday, August 30, 2025, in Greenwood Funeral Home in Memorial Suite A; with a graveside ceremony following at 3:00 p.m. in Greenwood Memorial Park, where she will be laid to rest alongside her beloved husband. GREENWOOD FUNERAL HOME Greenwood Funeral Homes – Cremation 3344 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth, TX 76107 817-336-0584
Related
View more details from the funeral home site.
Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.