Lola M. Sanford passed away peacefully surrounded by her three daughters in Waikoloa, Hawaii on November 26, 2024 just a few weeks before her 100th birthday.

She was born Alice Lola Milosevich on New Year’s Eve in 1924 on her family’s farm in the legendary Santa Fe Trail town of Trinidad, Colorado, to Croatian immigrant parents Zora (Padjen) and Matt Milosevich, both of whom had migrated to the US via Ellis Island and Canada from Ledenice, Croatia, a mountain village above Crkvenica on the Adriatic Sea. Her father Matt was a craftsman and strong leader who worked hard in the Colorado coal mines, as a master stone wall builder, and a renowned area toolmaker. During his “off hours”, he also drafted and built a large family home on their land on the outskirts of town, which remains owned and inhabited by descendants of the family for over 100 years. Her mother Zora, an accomplished seamstress, cook, housekeeper, artist and astute, witty, gentle story teller, bore and lovingly cared for their eight children.

Lola’s mother and father were proud of their close-knit family of 5 boys and three girls. The eldest daughter, Lola, recently and often emphasized when discussing her childhood that “because there were 10 of us, our life together on the farm was our whole world.” All 8 children excelled individually and variously in their school work, sports and the arts. They easily adopted English as their main language for school and “town”, while Croatian continued to be their first language at home. Lola and several siblings were grateful to have had the opportunity as adults to visit Croatia many times and meet their Padjen and Milosevich relatives.

By excelling in her high school business class, Lola was recruited for a job at the Trinidad Power and Electric Company, where she worked for 2 years before following her sister Donna and brother Nick to San Pedro, California. As it was WWII, they all quickly found jobs in the shipyards and other companies serving the US war efforts. Eventually all 8 siblings relocated to various cities in California, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico, but always maintained close contact throughout the years, including large family reunions that continue to this day.

In 1947, while working for the Advertising Club of Los Angeles (with offices at the Biltmore Hotel) Lola met and fell in love with a returning Navy veteran from Broken Bow, Nebraska Thurman Sanford. Thurm and Lola got married in 1948, honeymooned in Catalina, and began to save for and build a new custom home (designed by Lola) in Downey, California, where their three daughters—Pat, Susan and Barbara—were raised and graduated from Downey High School.

Thurman was a construction expert, business rep for the Carpenter’s Union, and loving husband, provider, and father who enjoyed fishing, road trips, music and playing guitar and piano. Lola was an expert homemaker and loving mom, who became involved in bridge, bowling, the Downey Woman’s Club, and also took classes in cake decorating, hat making, and even received a license in cosmetology.

In 1974, Thurm (now retired) and Lola sold their Downey house to daughter Pat and husband John Henzel and moved fulltime to their beloved mountain cabin in Crestline, California where they enjoyed 15 years of retired life, relaxing, traveling to visit aging parents in Colorado, and spending time with children and grandchildren in California and Washington. They enjoyed fishing, bowling, and bridge, renovating the cabin and adding a guest house, and graciously hosting dozens of family and friends in their lovely mountain home. The also got “hooked” on making hundreds of individual Christmas stockings for family and friends.

Lola continued to live in Crestline after Thurm’s passing in 1991, with yearly visits to daughters’ homes “down the hill” during winter months. She became active as a volunteer for the local Senior’s Thrift Store, playing bridge, and traveling with family and friends to dozens of states as well as Croatia, Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria and Australia.

In 2016, daughters Susan and Barbara purchased the Downey family home from sister Pat and husband John, who moved to Waikoloa, Hawaii. Lola sold her Crestline home and moved back to the Downey home she designed and where she raised her family. In 2017, local newspaper the Downey Patriot, wrote an article about Lola and her daughters called “The Golden Girls: Down the Road and Back Again.” All 3 daughters wanted to “share” their mom, so Lola flew back and forth from Downey to Hawaii every year, for 3-4 months at a time, until 2024, when she moved to Hawaii full time. She remained active in bridge and had a large circle of friends in both Downey and Hawaii, and she kept in touch with friends and family all over the world via FaceBook, Instagram, emails, texts and FaceTime visits.

Those who knew and loved Lola during her 100 years on earth, have described her as joyful, smart, loving, classy, a beauty inside and out, tender, calming, upbeat, loyal, happy, historian, witty, role model, powerful, creative, grateful and “all inclusive”.

She is survived by brother Paul Milosevich (Santa Fe NM), loving daughters Pat Sanford (Waikoloa, Hawaii), Susan Steyl (Costa Mesa, CA) and Barbara Jones (La Mirada, CA), nine grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, 1 great-great granddaughter, and numerous treasured nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family and friends.

A family reunion and final interment will be held in July 2025 in Trinidad, Colorado. Lola had requested that any donations being considered be sent to Habitat for Humanity, an organization she supported for over 40 years.