Armed with an infectious smile, curious nature and cool demeanor, Lois Perry moved easily in social circles, winning over even strangers with a gentle touch or kind word.

Her husband, Paul, would often be amazed at her patience and kindness. He called her an "angel."

"Even though I may be a bit biased, it wasn't only me who thought of her that way," Paul said Tuesday. "Without an exception, she was the sweetest, most loving, kind and sensitive person you could ever meet,"

Lois learned that kindness the hard way - by first suffering through personal tragedy.

In the early 1950s, she lost three children - Richard, Drew and Nancy - to the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. The deaths were devastating, Paul said, but in time, Lois found that helping others helped her.

It was a strategy she employed through the next 50-plus years as a volunteer with such organizations as the YMCA and Long Beach Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which she helped found in the mid-1950s.

Lois died at home Nov. 14 in her sleep following a battle with cancer. She was 80.

Born Feb. 15, 1928, Lois came with her family to Long Beach as an infant, later attending local schools and, before graduating from Poly High School, working as a fashion model for the defunct Walkers Department Store.

While studying at Long Beach City College, Lois met Paul, a childhood neighbor who had just returned from World War II duty in the Navy.

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Their first child, Karen, was born in 1950. She would be the only one of Lois and Paul's four children to survive past childhood.

"The kids kept getting sick, but the doctors didn't know what it was," Paul said.

"It was assumed to be pneumonia, and it wasn't until later that the medical field learned more about cystic fibrosis and made a correct diagnosis."

To cope with the deaths, Lois and a friend whose child also suffered from CF formed the Long Beach Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - one of the nation's first chapters.

They held fundraisers, read about and shared the latest treatments and research into the disease and opened a thrift store at Fourth Street and Termino Avenue that continues today.

"We had a support base that was wonderful," Paul said.

In the 1960s, the Perrys became involved with the YMCA, and the family frequently guided young members on excursions across the U.S. and abroad.

Trips included a month surfing in Baja California and camping on the beach, a caravan across U.S. national parks and a trip for 17 local youths to Hawaii.

In the summer of 1972, Lois and a friend took a group of high school students across Europe, culminating with the Olympic Games in Munich, Germany.

Though the Games were marred by the kidnapping and murder of several Israeli athletes, the overall trip was a success, with many of the students remaining in touch with Lois for decades afterward.

"She had an amazing ability to connect with kids and help them with whatever they were going through," Paul said. "She'd been there in many ways."

The Perrys also involved themselves with YMCA camps in regional state parks, including Camp Oaks in Big Bear and Camp Hi-Hill in the San Gabriel Mountains, where they lived for two years.

In recent years, Lois remained active with the YMCA and its fundraising efforts and was close with the First Church of the Nazarene in Long Beach.

She also remained tight with a group of childhood friends - named the "Lunch Bunch" - who met frequently to gossip and care for one another, daughter Karen said.

This spring, the YMCA renamed its Los Altos branch lobby after Lois and Paul and dedicated a plaque to the couple's longtime contributions.

Lois is survived by Paul and Karen; brother Charles Morrison; and grandchildren Lauren, Dylan and Andrea.

Memorial services will be held Saturday. The service, at 7 p.m., will be held at First Church of the Nazarene, 2280 Clark Ave., in Long Beach.