B. Lois Thieszen Preheim was born on a farm near Henderson, Nebraska. She graduated from Freeman Junior College, Freeman, South Dakota and from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln followed with a specialist degree in administration and a Ph.D. in education, curriculum, and instruction from UNL. She received a master of divinity from Associated (now Anabaptist) Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. Lois is a retired kindergarten-twelve principal having taught pre-school, elementary, middle school, and college students. Currently, she resides in Newton, Kansas.