Doris Thompson Kingsbery

Doris Thompson Kingsbery Born to Nora and Oscar Dobyns on a red dirt farm outside of Bradley, Oklahoma, Sept 4, 1924. It was a hardscrabble beginning, in a one room sharecropper cabin. Her sister Ruth, Doris always said, was sickly and she got called to work outside in the fields with her daddy. Since both of her parents had had to quit school themselves to go to work in the fields at home, they really stressed to both girls school work and education. Nora, her mother had the most education. She went to school all the way through 5th grade and Oscar to the third grade. Both Nora and Oscar continued to read and learn all they could themselves, for their entire lives. Doris didn't talk too much of their growing up, just little things like how wonderful it was to have a large navel orange or big juicy apple in their Christmas stocking. Then there was the reality of having just 2 dresses each made of Flour sacks and of course they were homemade by their mother. Doris did graduate Valedictorian from her High School in Hughes Consolidated School, Oklahoma. The same school her High School sweetheart had graduated from a few years before, only he was Salutatorian. They married in March 1942 before Theo went off to World War II. While he was gone, she went off to Oklahoma University at Norman, to get college credits to teach school back at Hughes. Which she did to support herself while he was overseas in the Philippines. Theo returned from the War and Doris had given birth to a girl, his oldest, Thalia in 1944. She was the first Dobyns grandchild and the first Selzer Great-grandchild to be born in a hospital instead of at home as parents had insisted. There was opportunity to homestead land in Wyoming after the War and with the help of family members Theo, Doris, Thalia and now baby Anita moved to Wyoming in 1948 to homestead their V.A. 160 acres and to farm to "make a living". Life was very basic and hard. There were chickens and a milk cow, which of course, had to be fed, and the cow milked twice a day every day. The differences in farming between Oklahoma vs. Wyoming were considerable and most times "the going was tuff!" Long and harsh Winters with blizzards and winds and a short growing season all contributed to their looking for something else. The area outside of Cody , being sparsely populated the one cohesiveness was church. There were Mormons and Lutherans – period. They were strongly recruited from both sides. They became Lutherans and were at services every Sunday weather permitting. Sunday church was the chance for any social contact, besides 2 young children and a spouse. Doris' parents had moved to Pecos, Texas for her mother's health and when Artesian wells were drilled in Texas, the possibility of irrigation of crops became too tempting to ignore. Nora and Oscar told both sons-in-law of the possible better prospects for farming. Come to West Texas.! When Spring came in Wyoming in 1950 , Doris and her family sold what would not fit on the flat bed truck or in the car and drove onto a better future in Pecos, TX. For a short while , 6 weeks or so all three families lived in her parent's house – all 900 square feet of it! The single car garage offered overhead protection for the surplus army cots for Doris, Theo and the girls sleeping. Imagine, everyone sharing 1 indoor bathroom! Slowly, things got better and there was prosperity. They helped build the new Lutheran Church. An accomplished pianist herself Doris played the piano and later the organ at Sunday services once the church could afford one. She was a member of Beta Sigma Phi, a girl scout troop leader for many many years and they were well thought of in the community. The family grew to add two sons born in Pecos at their new hospital. Theo II in 1952 while the family was living in the airbase barracks. Kent Arthur was born Dec 10, 1956, a month early, but was a great early Christmas present and his Dad was tickled to have another tax deduction. Theo branched out into cattle ranching and Life was good. All things change and when the Billy Sol Estes scandal hit – it was if a bomb blast had gone off with devastating ripple effects. It was a big quick slide down. Doris and Theo said in later years they were fortunate to have come out as well as they did. They didn't owe anyone anything or any banks money, but life got lean – again. So began life on Bald Knob Ranch in Jan 1963, which was about equal distance from Martindale and Maxwell on Highway 182. Necessity put Doris to work outside the home once again, firstly for Martindale Post Office then Leggett & Company in San Marcos, then Doctors Moore and Primer as well as Southwest Texas State on the hill. Ambition pushed her to furthering her education while working fulltime-taking courses at SWT - at that time pursuing a Bachelors Degree. When Theo was killed in a car accident April of 1972, they were ranching mainly now at Buda (the ranch where she is being laid in between her 1st husband Theo and and her first born son Tommy.) Theo had stepped into the pioneer stages of AI breeding Simmental and Limousine cattle. Doris was going to school still at the SWT and still working full time. Now she got to raise two teenage sons still at home. The oldest Tommy, was in college at SWT and Kent was still in High School. She pulled up her bootstraps to persevere with dignity and grace. The University of Texas awarded her MLS in Library Science in 1976. Having moved to Austin to complete college and earn her degree she met many new friends and acquaintances. She bought a home on Lupine Lane that was considered home base for over 30 years… She met and married E.G. Kingsbery, who helped guide her into other business ventures unknown until then. They enjoyed many wonderful friends, and family social occasions and trips along with E.G. introducing her into a business world he knew very well. Their life together was filled and full filling though short. Doris spent many years as a member of St. Martin's church in Austin and was very generous with herself, time, and resources. She taught Sunday School for many years there and belonged to the "Bucket Brigade". In addition, her commitment to helping the members of the congregation was to become a Stephen Minister at St. Martin's. Moving to Georgetown she attended and was a member at various times at Faith Lutheran. One of her greatest joys was in introducing her grandchildren to nature, which is one of God's glorious works. I understand that many friends, family and extended family all enjoyed many wondrous times in the country at the ranch. The family will receive friends from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, 2008 at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home. Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 6, 2008 at Barton Cemetery in Buda. She loved God, her family, her relatives and friends. We will miss her. Obituary and guestbook online at wcfish.com