Doris Yvonne Rawlings

Doris Yvonne (Childress) Rawlings, affectionally referred to as Pet (a nickname given by her father) was born on December 28, 1947 to Annie Bertha and William Taft Childress in Chapel Oaks, Maryland. She was the seventh of their nine children plus one adopted daughter (Barbara Davis, who preceded her in death) and the fourth daughter of their four girls. Doris was educated in Prince George’s County, Fairmont Heights Elementary and graduated from McKinley Technical High School in Washington, DC. Doris proudly wore her Tech class ring. She later attended the DC Business Institute in the District of Columbia.

Doris was employed by the Occupational Training Center (OTC), which later became the Arc of the District of Columbia, from January 11, 1971 until her retirement on May 15, 2015. As a project manager she oversaw the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) contract gaining a multitude of friends along the way.

Doris accepted Christ and was a long-time, dedicated member of Craig Memorial Community Church. There, she served as an usher, sang in several choirs, and most recently was chairperson of the Pastor’s Ambassadors. Her proudest accomplishment was having served as the church clerk for 30 years. Every Sunday that she could, Doris would attend church. She enjoyed planning the pastor’s anniversary celebration, first lady appreciation events, and was very organized and punctual. During the pandemic, she would join church via Facebook Live greeting the members, pastor, and musicians in the chat. After church on Sunday, you only had a short time to speak with Doris before she abandoned everything and everyone to join her 4:00 pm prayer call with her sisters. This was a special time for her, so much that she would even get off the phone with her grandchildren so that she would not miss it.

Doris enjoyed family. Each August and December, she enjoyed trips to North Carolina to visit relatives. Doris would sometimes start packing her bag up to a month before she was scheduled to leave. Her departure time was always early Saturday morning. Traveling with her grandson, son-in-law, sister, or a friend, she drove through the night until she arrived at her destination. She always said she wanted a fun riding partner, someone that would talk and keep her company while she drove. When she arrived, she would always call family to let them know she made it, especially keeping her grandson detailed on every aspect of her trip. While in North Carolina, she frequented the local Wal-Mart and Kmart buying household products because she was convinced that the prices were much cheaper there than in Maryland. She would normally come home with household items, creative dolls, and tons of polaroid pictures that she had written descriptions on to save and share the memories.

Doris was a very consistent and meticulous person. Everything in her space had its place. If something was amiss, then someone else must have touched it, and you would know it. Doris spent a lot of time on the phone talking to friends and loved ones. If you ever told her that you were going to call her back, you better believe that she was waiting for a return call. And if she said that she would call you on a specific day or at a specific time, you could bet your life that your phone would ring at that exact moment. One day her grandson convinced her that it was time to move into the next century and learn how to text. Of course, her response was, “you know you’re going to have to teach me and I’m not spending a whole lot of money on one of those expensive phones.” When they arrived at the Verizon store, she bought the cheapest phone that she could find with a keyboard, but she learned to text.

Everyone knew Doris by her nails, which were always nicely manicured and polished to perfection. Sometimes, she manicured and polished her own nails. When Doris wasn’t at church or on the phone, she was on Facebook commenting on posts, reposting things that she liked or simply because it said to repost, or printing pictures of her Twiggy (Nyeaka). Doris was comfortable with her simple life and antenna TV. She would watch shows like Dancing with the Stars, The Masked Singer, and The Andy Griffith Show. In earlier years, she also hosted and enjoyed playing games like Pokeno and Guesstures.

Doris loved her daughter and grandchildren with her heart and soul. Like any good mother and grandmother, she was always concerned that they were safe, careful, and aware of their surroundings. If they planned to do something that was outside of her comfort zone, she would let them know, but in the end, she prayed for them and called or texted later to check on them.

Doris was broken-hearted by the recent passing of her sister, Delores Levi and brother, Donald Childress. And now, she leaves to cherish precious memories her daughter, Donna Denise Childress; her two grandchildren Raymond C. Harrod, Jr. (Pooh/Teddy bear) and Nyeaka C. Harrod (E/Twiggy); one bonus grandchild, Ni Kyra Harrod (Kyra); brothers, Harold Childress (Sandra), Quentin Childress (Hazel), Milton Childress (Linda), and Russell Childress (Elizabeth); two sisters Norma Wills and Phyllis Pinkney; and a host of relatives and friends.