Mari A. (Uksila) Lohla, 86, of Fairfax, Va., died June 8 following a stroke and medical complications of Alzheimer's. She was born July 18, 1915, in Dollar Bay, Mich. On graduation from high school, Mrs. Lohla studied music, art and theater in Chicago and performed in radio play productions there. She later resided near Detroit, Mich., where she was a homemaker and artist and owned the Judlo Gallery in Ann Arbor, Mich., for 10 years. After moving to Lake Worth, Fla., she worked for several years as a home-health-care aide. She moved to Fairfax last year to be near her daughter. A longtime activist for women's rights and social causes, she was a charter member of the Palm Beach County (Fla.) chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), which was founded in the 1970s and continues today, and was a member of the National Democratic Party.
She is survived by three children: Jon Karl Lohla of Lake Worth, Fla.; Jerry A. Lohla of San Diego, Calif.; and Judith A. Robison of Burke, Va.; and a sister, Dana E. Waters, of Lake Linden, Mich., and four grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in Chassell, Mich., in late July. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to the Alzheimer's Association or Hospice of Northern Virginia.