Doris Vanni

Born in Detroit, Michigan on November 12, 1920, she was the oldest daughter of George S. Hutchings and Miriam A. (Aberle) Hutchings. She married her late husband Ralph E. Vanni in June of 1937.

The Vannis moved to Connecticut in the early 1960's for Ralph's work. Doris began her twenty year career as a respiratory therapist at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Connecticut in 1965. In her free time she was a dollhouse enthusiast and enjoyed building colonial miniature dollhouse furniture and creating needlepoint and embroidery pieces. She also loved walking her dogs in the woods behind her home in Orange, CT, caring for her flower garden, and spending time with her granddaughters.

Upon retirement the Vannis moved to Englewood, Florida where Doris lived for almost thirty years until August of 2014. She continued to care for her pet dogs and cats, and in addition would fill her birdbaths to provide a resting stop for the birds and leave lettuce and carrots out for the rabbits and a resident tortoise. Doris created a beautiful home both inside and out filled with her needlework, beautiful trees and plants, and took pride in her tending to her yard. She adopted her latest dog, Heidi, in 2007 and enjoyed walking her daily around her Englewood Isles neighborhood.

Doris was predeceased by her sister, Marilyn L. (Hutchings) Rowe, her son, Philip E. Vanni and his wife Susan, and her daughter Carolyn L. Annunziata. She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law Robert and Elaine Vanni of Macomb, IL; her son-in-law Anthony Annunziata of Wallingford, CT; her five loving granddaughters and their husbands Karen and Robert Nourie of Lisbon, CT, Kimberly and Michael Melluzzo of Old Lyme, CT, Christina and James Foster of Arlington, MA, Cynthia and James Bruetsch of Chelmsford, MA, and Claudia and Alex Hartman of Chelmsford, MA; her ten great-grandchildren- Kevin, Sara, Jackson, Francesca, Emmett, Marina, Carolyn, Sophia, Michael, Carly, and her beloved Shih Tzu Heidi. A private family service will be held graveside at Cheshire Hillside Cemetery in Cheshire, CT.

In lieu of flowers donations in Doris' memory may be made to Suncoast Humane Society, 6781 San Casa Drive, Englewood, FL 34224.