Doris Raphael of Brookline, MA, formerly of Newton, MA, passed away on August 11, 2019 at the age of 88. She was the beloved wife of the late Alvin Winder; the loving mother of Jayne Raphael and her husband Jeff Simmons, and the late Ellen Raphael; the loving sister of Larry Miller and his wife Nancy; and the loving grandmother of Hannah and Ben Simmons.
She was born to Edward and Ruth Miller of Newton. She proudly attended The Cambridge School of Weston, graduated from Tufts University with a degree in sociology, and went on to get her MSW from Simmons College later in life.
Doris loved color and light, sunrises and sunsets, and the changing of the fall leaves. She lover ballet and the symphony. She loved flowers of all kinds, but most especially in her final weeks, the blue and purple hydrangea Jayne brought from her garden. She loved people, but no one more than her grandchildren.
The pride she felt in Hannah and Ben was intense and authentic. She loved that Hannah followed her passion and became a professional dancer, and that Ben found a terrific job and lived close enough to visit. She loved other people’s children, too. In fact, she opened a daycare center in Philadelphia, her proudest professional achievement, and volunteered at the daycare center at Lasell Village.
Doris loved being active. She was a swimmer well into her eighties, and loved golf and skiing when she was younger. Until her final week, she was exercising daily. And of course, she loved the Red Sox and the Patriots.
By far the most difficult thing in her life was the loss of her daughter Ellen, her oldest child, at the age of only 42. As Doris said, no mother should ever outlive her child.
Doris was lucky enough to have a second chance at love. She met and married Al Winder, who taught Doris so much about life and about making the world a better place. They enjoyed traveling the world together and eventually enjoyed life at Lasell Village for many years. Doris remained there until age 87, when she moved to Goddard House in Brookline so she and Jayne could be closer to each other.
In the last decade or so, Doris discovered joy and gratitude. What a gift! She forged ahead through all the ups and downs of life with a combination of resilience and pragmatism. She was positive and funny. She loved friends and family. She loved sunrises and sunsets. May a beautiful sunset be with Doris always!
Services at Levine Chapels, 470 Harvard St., Brookline on Tuesday, August 13 at 12noon. Burial will follow at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham St., Sharon.
Memorial Observance will be at Jayne’s home in Brookline on Tuesday from 7pm to 9pm and Wednesday from 5pm to 9pm.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation at https://www.lungcancerfoundation.org/about-us/.
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