Doris Winifred Mellenbruch-Peterson

Doris Winifred Mellenbruch's life began on January 27, 1919, when she was born to Ermal and Victoria Boyce Mellenbruch on a family farm about twenty miles east of Topeka, Kansas. She lived the first sixteen years of her life on Kansas farms except for three years when she lived with her family in the small town of Macyville, Kansas, where her father owned and operated a country general store and feed mill. Her parents' several moves to various Kansas towns meant that Doris and her sisters Lenora, Virginia, and Carolyn attended six different rural schools. The family moved to Topeka in 1934, and Doris graduated from Topeka High School in 1936.

Following her high school graduation, Doris attended Emporia Teachers College, where she earned a three-year state teaching certificate. In 1940, she earned a Life Certificate from Pittsburg Teachers College. Doris began her teaching career in 1937 and taught elementary grades in Topeka USD 501 for forty years until her retirement in 1984. In 1950, she earned her Bachelor of Education degree from Washburn University followed by a Master's of Education in 1963, also from Washburn University. In 1989, Doris completed her formal education when she earned her Ph.D. from Columbia Pacific University. Learning, education, and teaching were lifelong passions for Doris, and she thrived in the academic world, taking great pride in her students and their educational successes.

Doris was united in marriage to Everett Gaylan Peterson in 1940, and to this union one son, Kenny L. Peterson, was born in 1941. Sadly, Gaylan passed away in 1945 after only five years of marriage. Doris never remarried and devoted the remainder of her life to raising her only son and to her teaching career. Her husband Gaylan remained ever near to her heart throughout her lifetime.

After studying her own family genealogy, Doris joined Daughters of the American Revolution, National Society of Daughters of the American Colonists, Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims, and several other patriotic organizations. She remained deeply involved in these organizations, holding offices in several, until very late in life and wrote copiously about her heritage and family lineage.

Following her retirement in 1984, Doris remained active by enrolling in multiple Bible classes through the Lutheran Church and Menninger Clinic in Topeka. A woman of deep faith, she took great comfort in reading the Bible and other spiritual publications. Before moving to Presbyterian Manor in 2008, Doris also enjoyed yard work, exploring family history, writing, visiting with neighbors, and family duties and activities. She found great joy and pride in her son Kenny and his wife Mary Jude; her three grandchildren Michael, Rachel, and Lara; and in her four great-grandchildren, Theo Rice-Evans, Ellis Peterson, Harper Rice-Evans, and Fauve Trudeau. She always looked forward with great anticipation to their visits.

Doris passed from this life into the arms of her Savior Jesus Christ on Monday, November 8, 2021. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sisters, and her husband. In life, Doris was a gentle and loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a kind, loyal, and compassionate friend. She lived a good life founded on her strong Christian principles and her deep faith. She will be missed by many who loved her dearly.

Doris' family will receive friends from 10am until 11am Saturday, November 20, 2021 at Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home. Funeral services will begin at 11am, followed by burial at Osage City Cemetery, W 229th Street & N Martin Street in Osage City, Kansas at 1pm. The family respectfully requests masks be worn during the visitation and service.

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