Doris Lorraine Hastings

Doris Hastings, 94, of Palm Beach, FL, died on January 2, 2017. Born on September 24, 1922, in Duluth, MN, to Ellen (Sandgren) and Karl (Charlie) Erickson, recent immigrants from Sweden, Doris undertook professional business training following graduation from Duluth public schools. Still a teenager at the outbreak of World War II, she assumed a position in Washington, DC, on the staff of the wartime Office for Inter-American Affairs, an agency headed by Nelson Rockefeller and charged with distributing news and films in Latin America to counter German war propaganda. In that office she worked with Walt Disney in the preparation of animated films for distribution in Latin America. While in Washington, DC, she met and later married Reginald S. Lanier, a young entrepreneur who founded Washington Scientific Industries (WSI) in suburban Minneapolis, where the couple took up residence following World War II. After the death of “Reggie” in 1964, Doris divided her time between Minnesota and Bal Harbour, Florida, retaining membership on the WSI board. Active in local society, she was a longtime faithful member of Bal Harbour Church By The Sea, singing alto in the church choir.

In 1971, she married Lawrence V. Hastings, a Florida doctor and attorney, with whom she spent 33 wonderful years prior to Larry’s death in 2004. In their retirement, Doris and Larry moved to Palm Beach where Doris remained engaged in numerous philanthropic and arts organizations, including the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and the Palm Beach Symphony, serving for a time as a director of the symphony’s board. In her honor and with her support, the Doris Hastings Scholarship was established for students studying less commonly taught languages in the Arizona State University Critical Languages Institute. In Palm Beach, she was a member of the Beach Club and the Everglades Club, and a member of the Royal Poinciana Chapel. Doris enjoyed international travels that took her to her parents’ ancestral homeland of Sweden, as well as to many other parts of Europe, Asia, and Australia. She remained to the end an avid Scrabble player.

Doris is survived by her sister-in-law Sonia Erickson, nieces Sandra (Stephen) Batalden and Michele (Anthony Fleming) d’Amour, and nephews Paul (Teri) DeMore, Michael Erickson, and Mark (Lynn) Erickson. She is also survived by six great-nephews and great-nieces (Peder and Karl Batalden; Phillip and Anna DeMore; Andrew and Catherine Erickson). She leaves behind many devoted friends and care assistants, including her adopted daughter, Karolyn Neat. A memorial service for family and friends will be held at the Royal Poinciana Chapel (60 Cocoanut Row), Palm Beach, at 2:00 p.m., Monday, January 16, 2017. A reception follows the service. Memorials are welcomed to the Palm Beach Symphony or the Doris Hastings Scholarship (ASU Foundation).