Doris Antoinette Webster

The youngest of 12, Doris was born in the small fishing region of Bonne Bay on the western shores of Newfoundland in Canada. Her parents – Eunice and Ambrose Doucette – raised their large family a few miles south in the small town of Corner Brook. Over the years, Doris regaled her family with tales of her early days growing up as the baby of such a large family. There was a 23-year span between her and her oldest brother, and many of her siblings had grown up and moved away by the time she was even born. Some siblings she didn’t even meet until they were in their 30s.

It was common then to marry young, so she did. The young couple moved to the coal mining town of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, and had two children – Michael and Karen – just two years apart. They didn’t have much money, but she raised the kids and took care of the house while her husband worked. Also common then was the weekend ritual of the local husbands. After a long week of working in the mines, they spent Saturday night drinking together, then came home and took out the week’s frustrations on their wives. Doris was a strong woman who wanted the best for her children, so it didn’t take long for her to flee this abusive marriage, moving her mother and children to Windsor, Canada. To support her young kids, she entered the workforce as a secretary and worked tirelessly.

In time, Doris moved to Dearborn Heights, Michigan, and became a U.S. citizen. There, she met Kenneth Webster, a US Army veteran, and they married in 1955. Kenny was a research scientist who worked for Parke-Davis for 35 years, primarily conducting cancer research. Together, they raised Mike and Karen in Dearborn Heights.

Doris loved entertaining and was an exceptional hostess who held numerous parties and events in the family’s spacious basement, which housed a fully stocked 1950s-style bar.

Doris had a long, storied professional life and held a wide variety of roles from secretary and shoe model to real estate agent and business owner. In the ‘80s, she moved back to Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, for a number of years and became owner of Lighters Jewellers Ltd, a retail storefront that sold jewelry, fine china and gifts.

In 1966, Doris’ first grandchild was born to daughter Karen and her husband Jim. Three years later, while Karen was pregnant with her second child, Doris’ son Michael was tragically murdered at the age of 27. When Karen’s son was born a few months later in 1969, she gave him her late brother’s name.

Karen died in 2012, and just three months later, Doris’ husband Kenny died. She became the sole survivor of her family, outliving her siblings, two children and both husbands.

Her son-in-law, grandchildren and great granddaughters spent a great deal of time with Doris during her last decade. They found her a comfortable first-floor condominium, which she decorated in wall-to-wall white. The centerpiece: a sprawling, contemporary, white leather sectional, which created a comfortable space for frequent visitors and her dog Cici to lounge.

Doris had an affinity for luxurious clothes, fabulous shoes, and fine jewelry and spent a great deal of her leisure time at Jacobson’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. She spent many winters in Bonita Beach, Florida – her home away from home. A friend to everyone, Doris was impeccably polite, generous with her time and always a gracious hostess. In her declining years, she became especially close with one of her caregivers, Talisa, who became a friend and part of the family.

Doris leaves behind her son-in-law Jim (husband of Karen), granddaughter Conny Coon and her husband Tim, grandson Michael Wielosinski and his wife Dawn, along with four great granddaughters: Hana & Hilary Coon and Meaghan & Lauren Wielosinski. She also leaves a big, beautiful legacy that spanned nearly a century.

Doris will be laid to rest with her son Michael and husband Kenneth at St. Hedwig Cemetery in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.