Lifelong adventurer, learner and explorer, Doris Manley left this world on April 16, 2021, passing peacefully in her home surrounded by family.
She was born Doris Adelia Pummell on June 28, 1925 to Clarence Ezekiel Allen Pummell and Esther Emily (Johnston) Pummell, in Montezuma Ohio. Doris, along with her 4 siblings, was raised with rural Midwest tenacity helping run the family’s 120 acre farm near Morenci, Michigan.
With WWII drawing to a close, Doris left farm and family to find work in the offices of Burroughs Mfg. in Detroit. Her typing and shorthand skills were legendary. She made lifelong friends, married and started a family with Charles Francis “Frank” Manley. Her marriage having ended, in 1967 she relocated to Plymouth, Michigan, built a successful career in real estate and raised her 6 children.
In 1974 her adventurer’s spirit led her to the Columbia River valley and a new home in Vancouver, Washington. There she shared with her 3 youngest children her passion for hiking trails in the Gorge and surrounding mountains, strolling ocean beaches and exploring the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
She worked supporting operations of the Portland Association of Teachers, retiring in 1990. In retirement Doris traveled the world visiting almost every continent. She had a strong thirst for knowledge and understanding of the world. Her explorer’s heart took her to Machu Picchu in Peru, to China, to Ireland and along the inside passage to Alaska as well as all over the continental US. She was especially interested in Archeology, volunteering at Fort Vancouver where she participated in archaeological digs and cataloged artifacts.
Always open to new experiences and different cultures, she encouraged her children to explore, experience and enjoy the world. As a mother and as a friend, Doris was kind and inclusive. Home was a place where her kids and their friends could hang out in safety and comfort. She was a wise and sympathetic listener. A quote that summarizes her wisdom; “this too shall pass.”
A grandmother and great grandmother, she is preceded in death by her brothers Harold Pummell and John Pummell, her sister Phyllis Thornton and her daughter Linda Cawley. She is survived by her brother Clarence Pummell; children Sharon Manley, Kathleen Manley, Mary Casey, Roch Manley and Michele Hanlon; and by her 13 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Friends of the Columbia Gorge, Friends of Fort Vancouver, or The Nature Conservancy. A memorial gathering will be held in summer of 2021.
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