Doris Mae Fairfield

Doris was born the fifth of eleven children on April 22nd, 1939, to John and Marcella Rettele Rethman in Seneca, Kansas. She graduated from Saints Peter and Paul High School in 1957.

After graduation, she moved to Omaha, Nebraska where she would meet her future husband, Gary Vrtiska from Pawnee City, Nebraska. Doris and Gary were married on February 27, 1960, and then made their home in Wichita, Kansas. Doris trained at St Francis Hospital to be a Lab Technician. It was also there that they had two children, Shannon and Damian. In 1963, the family moved to Nebraska where she continued her career in the healthcare industry.

After her children were grown, Doris divorced and moved to Kansas City, Missouri. It was there where she met Jack Fairfield and would later marry in 1983. Her husband worked for TWA where she was able to travel to places that would otherwise not be possible like Germany, Switzerland, Holland and London. Doris and Jack divorced in 2001. During their marriage, Doris was employed as a Medical Assistant at Creekwood Family Care, retiring at the age of 70.

Life wasn’t always easy for Doris, she bravely battled breast and colon cancer in her later 40’s. She was a fighter and the cancer stayed in remission for the remainder of her years.

Doris was a loving, caring, active and compassionate person. She enjoyed family, traveling, playing tennis, dancing, gardening and was also a season ticket holder for the KC Chiefs. She loved her Kansas City Chiefs!

Doris had many friends and a loving family. She will be greatly missed and not a day will go by without a memory of her smile and asking, “Do you need anything”.

Doris was preceded in death by her parents, four sisters; Juanita Rethman, Marceil (Sis) Fouraker, Betty Himmelberg, and Judy Hein, three brothers; Walter (Pete) Rethman, John (Jr) Rethman and Tom Rethman,

Survivors include two children, Shannon Vrtiska Nelson (Kent) and Damian Vrtiska (Sheila); two sisters, Mary Sander (Glenn), Carol Karnowski; one brother, Wayne Rethman (Marlene); five grandchildren; Kyle Vrtiska (Katelyn), Derek Vrtiska (Kassie), Cody Lewandowski (Cole), Christian Vrtiska and Macy Vrtiska; six great-grandchildren; Quinn, Finley, Capri, Lennon, Crue and Leighton; many nieces and nephews; plus, a special friend Charles Burnett.

A Celebration of Life for Doris will be held Thursday, August 22, 2024 at 1:30 PM at White Chapel Funeral Home, 6600 North East Antioch Road, Gladstone, Missouri 64119.

To honor Doris’s request, her ashes will be buried in the family cemetery at a later date.

The Family asks that you wear your favorite KC Chiefs attire or sports related clothing.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Doris' memory may be made to American Cancer Society, PO Box 171335, Kansas City, Kansas 66117, https://donate.cancer.org