Doris, the adored matriarch of our family passed away peacefully, on a lovely May day, loved by her children, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She died as she lived with grace, humor, insight, intelligence, optimism and courage. Her last few days were filled with quite a roomful of chatter and wonderful moments with a woman we all cherished. She was enjoying every moment. When the room quieted, she closed her eyes and quietly passed on, so as not to disturb the gathering. Like everything she did, she did this with great dignity.
Doris was born in Saginaw, Michigan, the middle daughter of three girls, to parents William and Anna Benkert. Her father died when she was just 14, before social security became law and left them with minimal funds. She spoke a great deal about how this impacted her life and shaped her as a person to be a resilient and independent woman. She and her older sister Marge, worked part time while finishing high school, to help their mother keep their home and care for younger sister Gwen. Her “stay at home Mom” found herself working as a seamstress for a high-end department store, 6 days a week. Doris often said that when they lost their father, they also lost their mother, who was determined to provide through hard work.
Doris graduated Arthur Hill High School in Saginaw and then went to work at Michigan Bell as a Service Representative. She had cracker-jack typing skills and made a bundle of life long friends. Then she was introduced to Bob, also an Arthur Hill graduate, who was in Dental School at University of Michigan. His brother Russ, was dating Doris’s best friend Marge Zender and the romance began.
Bob and Doris were married on July 30, 1944. They lived in Chicago while he was stationed in the Dental Corp at Great Lakes Training Center. As a Navy wife, she transferred from Michigan Bell to Illinois Bell. After Bobs discharge from the Navy, she transferred back to Michigan Bell, while he completed his Oral Surgery residency in Ann Arbor, at University of Michigan. As Bob put it, her hard work and efforts were recognized and rewarded as she became responsible for the entire University of Michigan telephone account.
Finally, in 1949, Bob graduated, and they moved to Seattle, where he became Chairman of the Oral Surgery Department at U of W. and they began their family, Ann, born in 1950 and Bobby in 1956. While raising her family her yearning for art and art history led her to enroll in UW art classes, which ultimately would lead to the love of her life, the docent program at the Seattle Art Museum.
Once the kids were out of the house, Doris applied to the docent program at SAM and was accepted into their two-year training program which she graduated in 1977. The adventure of a lifetime would ensue of learning, friendship and travel with her docent friends, bringing her great joy. She accepted her award as Docent Laureate (an actively touring docent for 20 years) in 1997.
She hung up her docent touring shoes at 78 years of age but still took the bus from Bellevue to the new museum in Seattle, to work at the information desk until she was 87 and rarely missed the monthly Docent Day lecture and luncheon.
Over the years, Doris collected friends everywhere and communicated with them near and far. She was active in many organizations, Dental Faculty Wives, Richard Fuller Guild, involved at her children’s schools, dance club, bridge club, garden club and anything social. She painted in watercolors and oils, Sumi Ink and pottery. In fact, I am sure the grandkids had the only grandmother that kept a garbage can full of wet clay for them to create with. She would then take the things they had molded and painted and fire them to keep forever.
Doris loved the theatre, the symphony and music of all kinds. She and Bob traveled the world, to see the art she loved first hand and was one of the first people to go to China when they opened the doors. Those passions were passed on to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and are a great part of her legacy.
Doris was most proud of her family, married 70 years to Dr. Robert E. Johnson who passed away in 2014, survived by daughter, Ann Hardy (Dr. Michael) Issaquah, WA. and son, Dr. Robert E. Johnson Jr. (Linda), Issaquah, WA., grandchildren, Carey Hardy, Robert Hardy, Dr. Robert E. Johnson III, Amy Johnson and great grandchildren, Raya Dussaud and Ashton Hardy.
Living in Michigan, is her sister, Marge Laube, 97, and her brother-in-law, Russell Johnson 96, married to Doris’s best friend Marge, 95 (married 73 years) all in Saginaw. Doris was preceded in death by her sister Gwen Behrens and her husband, Cliff and brother- in-law, Art Laube.
Although separated by distance, she made it her mission to keep her children in touch with their roots. Ann and Bobby spent nearly every summer in Michigan, playing with the cousins for a couple of weeks, while the aunts and uncles, all of whom went to high school together, laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. We have nothing but fond memories of those visits and theirs to Seattle. Keeping family together was a mantra in our home and Doris devoted her life to it. There was no greater joy for her than large family dinners and gatherings.
A “Celebration of Life” will be held at the Sunset Hills Memorial Funeral Home, on Friday, June 1, 2018, at noon. The address is 1215 -145th Place S. E., Bellevue, WA. In lieu of flowers, we encourage and would be grateful for donations to Seattle Art Museum, in memory of Doris and her most beloved place.
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