Willis Joseph Doré

Willis was the youngest of four children born to Gustave and Anna Doré. He grew up on their small family farm near Broussard, Louisiana, attending St. Cecilia Catholic School with his brothers and sister. He graduated from St. Cecilia in 1941, then worked for a local grocery and the Frito Lay Company in Lafayette.

Willis had just turned 19 and was living in Lafayette with his widowed mother, when the U.S. Army called. He was inducted in February 1943. After basic training in St. Petersburg and advanced training at various Pacific Coast locations, Sergeant Doré served as an Army Air Corps radar operator on Palawan Island (the Philippines) from 1944 to 1946, and was awarded the Bronze Star.

By the time Willis left the army in Spring 1946, his mother, Anna, had married Lynn Paul Stansbury, a widower who ran an ironworks business in Port Arthur. Willis soon fell in love with Lynn’s youngest daughter, Lane, and they married at St. Mary’s Church in February 1947. That marriage would last over 70 years.

Willis was a natural born mechanic who could fix almost anything. He trained as a union carpenter and found employment at a Port Arthur cabinet shop, then later joined Gulf Oil Corporation’s Port Arthur refinery. After over 30 years’ service at Gulf, first as a carpenter, then as supervisor, Willis retired as head of the plant’s carpentry department. His cabinetmaking skills never left him. Throughout his life he spent much of his free time building beautiful cabinetry for friends and relatives, and he was always a “first call” for any building or remodeling project.

Willis was a caring provider and devoted father for his four children. He and Lane raised the family on Woodrow Drive, a block from St. Catherine’s Church and School where they were active participants. No excuses for being late to class, or Mass, in that house! Willis’ humorous teasing and many corny aphorisms (e.g., to describe a project that turned out less than perfect: “They won’t see that from the Orange Bridge!” or “Good enough for who it’s for!”) provided a great counterpoint to Lane’s worrying Stansbury nature. Those sayings live on today in the homes of his children and grandchildren.

Willis “travelled enough during the war” (or so he always said). In retirement he was happiest when he and Lane—“PawPaw” and “MawMaw” by this point—hosted family at their home on Post Oak Lane in Groves. Lane gladly ceded cooking duties to Willis, and the entire family was the beneficiary of his Cajun culinary arts at countless Sunday and holiday meals. Willis spent his spare time on woodwork, gardening, and teaching grandkids how to play “Casino”—his favorite card game. He loved music and, whatever his activity, he always had a country music radio station playing in the background.

For about 30 years, Willis and Lane happily passed much of their time on Post Oak “visiting” with friends, relatives and neighbors over coffee—strong coffee!—and occasionally traveling to see children and grandchildren. Post Oak was just a block or so from St. Peter’s Church, so the prompt Mass attendance patterns continued unchanged. Those quality times diminished as Lane struggled with dementia for about a dozen years before her death in 2017, just a few days short of her 94th birthday. Willis was an amazingly devoted and patient caregiver, managing Lane’s many needs as well as their household entirely on his own for much of this time.

By the time Lane passed, Willis’ health had begun to decline somewhat. He spent his final years at Rose Place Assisted Living in Port Arthur, where he played dominoes daily with fellow residents and served as “ambassador” (a title Rose Place bestowed) to newcomers. He later moved to Villa de San Antonio Assisted Living in San Antonio.

Willis’ children and grandchildren, and in recent years, great-grandchildren, continued to enjoy time with him until the end. In November 2022 he attended the wedding of granddaughter, Kathryn Doré, and he spent the most recent Christmas holidays with his daughters and their families.

Willis was preceded in death by his sister, Irene, brothers Neil and Carroll, and numerous brothers- and sisters-in-law from the greatest generation. He is survived by children, Nanette (Gary) Babin of Bridge City, Texas, Monica Doré of San Antonio, Texas, Matt (Laurie) Doré of Des Moines, Iowa, and Marianne (Keith) May of Prosper, Texas. His grandchildren are Kyle and Jeremy Babin, Sarah May Nguyen, Jonathan and AnnMarie May, Kathryn Doré Sevilla, Emilie Doré Badje, and Anna and Peter Doré. In addition to grandsons-in-law, granddaughters-in law, and eight great-grandchildren (with another on the way), Willis’s surviving relations include numerous nieces, nephews and their families.

Willis’ family will receive visitors at Immaculate Conception-St. Peter the Apostle Church in Groves from 9-10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 13, followed by a Rosary (10:30 a.m.) and Funeral Mass (11:00 a.m.). Internment services will take place at Greenlawn Memorial Park Mausoleum, followed by a luncheon at Marino Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the charity of your choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.grammier-oberle.com for the Dore family.