Her only son Jack M Morehead preceded her in death. Jack’s wife Bette became a close companion to Doris after Jack’s death. They lived next door to each other and spent many evenings in their pajamas watching old movies or relaxing in the hot tub, having a glass of wine.
In the late forties Doris married the love of her life, Otis Morehead, he died in 1955 after a long battle with cancer.
Doris had a lifelong interest in politics and was a member of the Republican Women’s club in Olympia. She met and married Eddie Alexander who also had interest in politics. While married to Eddie she wrote a column for his newspaper. He preceded her in death.
Doris started a real-estate business during her years in Olympia. Her special friend Nadine Baybarz worked with her and they remained lifelong friends. She met and married George Raudenbush in the early eighties and worked with him in his auto parts store. While driving their delivery truck to call on customers she asked George, “How many women do you know who drive a truck at my age”, he replied, he didn’t know any. After they retired she and George moved to Spokane where he died.
Doris was also preceded in death by all of her siblings including two sisters, Elsie Tuffree, and Merle Coe, and three brothers, Donald, Harry and Bernard Hanson.
She is survived by three grandchildren, John Morehead, Susan Johnson and her husband Robert, Cynthia Johnstone and her husband Robin. She also is survived by five great grandchildren, Chris Johnstone, David Johnstone, Jason Johnson, Melissa Morehead and Jennifer Hill, three great, great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
When Doris moved back to Olympia, she had many memories of events in her life that she enjoyed sharing with her family and friends. She had keepsakes from a governor’s ball, and a replica of the convertible that Otis had ordered for her shortly before his death. She had memories from her travels, parasailing in Mexico when she was 92 years. In her belongings was picture of her with Newt Gingrich, and Husky coach Jim Owens naming her his team’s #1 fan. She was a Husky fan until the end often wearing purple. She lived independently until recently. She drove by herself to Hoquiam from Spokane to celebrate her 90th birthday at the home of her niece. She kept notes during her life planning to write a book of her adventures.
In the early years of Doris’s life, her family lived in Chicago. She remembered the devastation of the great flu epidemic of 1918.
She also remembered happier times singing on the street promoting war bonds to help the soldiers during WWI, and the joy of the soldiers returning after the war.
The family returned to Alberta where they had homesteaded earlier. After a few years, Doris’ father left in search of employment which he found in Grays Harbor and the family moved once again. The entire family headed across Canada in a covered wagon. Doris had many stories about the trip and how happy they were. She especially enjoyed riding horses with her brother Harry; riding in front of the wagon pretending they were scouts. She remembered evening meals prepared from the food her mother canned from their garden in Alberta, and later in the evening signing around the campfire before bedtime.
Her father met them near Vancouver, BC with a new Model T Ford he had purchased. Leaving the covered wagon behind they all fit into the car and Doris was not impressed. It was a tight fit but they continued their journey to Grays Harbor. Doris attended school in Aberdeen and graduated from Aberdeen High School.
Doris will be remembered for her love of family, friends and life.
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