Doris Hattie Winters

Avid golfer, dedicated bridge player, international traveler and FSU sports Superfan, Doris H. Winters passed away on August 26, 2020 at age 98. A seven-year resident at Westminster Oaks, she died at Big Bend Hospice after a brief stay. Originally a native of Newark, NJ, her true home became her adopted city of Tallahassee, where she moved in 1949 with husband Stephen S. Winters and one-month-old son, Philip. Four years later, daughter Martha was born at the new Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, and the family was complete.

Doris and Steve had been college sweethearts at the University of Newark (now Rutgers Univ.), and married in 1943. Shortly thereafter, she accompanied him to US Army Air Corps Officer Candidate Training in Oklahoma. When he shipped out to serve in the Pacific, Doris returned to Newark. She lived with her parents while she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and volunteered for the USO.

After WWII, she and Steve spent summers in Northern Arizona, Wyoming and Colorado, as Steve completed his field work for his PhD in Geology from Columbia Univ. Accommodations included a converted chicken coop on the Hopi Reservation, a two-person tent, and rustic cabins. No running water. Doris washed their clothes in a river. They were confronted by all sorts of western wildlife. When they asked a Hopi friend what to do about a skunk that was in their quarters one night, they followed his sage advice, to maintain a respectful distance from the skunk and remain very quiet.

The Winters arrival in Tallahassee was a part of a large group (about 200) of new young faculty members at FSU, popularly known as the “49ers.” This was an extraordinarily cohesive and active group. Many lifelong friendships were formed. Doris and Steve participated in as many university activities as time allowed. They chaperoned student outings to Dog Island and Silver Lake, and sorority dances, where they wowed the students with their own superb dancing. The couple enjoyed concerts, theatre, lectures, and all manner of FSU sports events. Even after Steve’s death, Doris continued going to baseball home games until the age of 96.

While raising her two children, Doris continued to thrive as a faculty wife. Get-togethers were common, and Doris was busy with the Faculty Wives club. They attended parties and teas, and Doris hosted many at their home. Their support of campus life included a wide variety of activities such as attending the Little Dinner Series, from the very first dinner in 1958 until this year when COVID-19 shut it down.

Doris played golf 4 or 5 days per week at Capital City Country Club, where her family membership lasted 55 years. She taught her children to swim. And many happy summer days were spent at the pool.

With relatives residing in New Jersey and California, and friends scattered across the country, summer car trips for the family of four were the norm. Doris always prepared food and games for the long rides, making sure everyone was comfortable and entertained. In 1961, the Winters spent an adventurous summer in Panama, while Steve taught in the “Bootstrap” program in the Canal Zone. They sailed back to the US, making a memorable stop in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After the kids were out of the house, travel with friends to exotic locales became a highlight for Doris and Steve during pre- and post-retirement years.

Always poised, Doris projected a sense of quiet elegance, with a keen sense of humor. She had a beautiful smile, gorgeous dark green eyes, and her thick, curly hair was the envy of her friends. She cut and styled her own hair and did her own manicures until her mid-90s. Steve said the money she saved not going to salons paid for all their fun travels. Doris was voted

“Best Dressed” in high school, and continued to look beautiful until the end, always well- dressed with her pearls and makeup. And she was just as nicely put together on the inside.

The Winters became members of Temple Israel when they arrived in Tallahassee.

Doris was predeceased by her husband, Steve, and her brother Lloyd Sandford. She is survived by her son, Philip D. Winters, and daughter, Martha K. Winters, nieces and nephews, and the adult children of close family friends. She was particularly fond of her friends from the Monday night dinner group, which now includes second and third generation devotees.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to American Macular Degeneration Foundation (AMDF) [email protected], Big Bend Hospice bigbendhospice.org, or Temple Israel templeisraeltlh.org/.