Doris J. Falk

Doris Jean Falk passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 95 on October 12, 2024. Her fervent prayer had been to stay in her own home until the end of her life. Thanks to the care and support of her daughter, Joanne, that’s where she was when the Lord took her to her heavenly home.

Doris was born on February 18, 1929, in Kansas City, Kansas. She was the third daughter of Richard and Amanda (Schoenick) Hinz. Two younger brothers soon followed. Dorie’s Kansas memories were never far from her mind. She talked about going to school where her Dad was both teacher and principal; the old neighborhood; every family and the houses they lived in; days spent playing baseball and trips to Wisconsin to stay with aunts and uncles on the family farms.

The Hinz family eventually moved back to Appleton when Dorie was a high school sophomore. They purchased a home on Commercial Street, across from the Falks. As the often-told story goes, one of the four Falk boys (Ken) was sitting on his front porch when he spotted Dorie across the street. “See that girl?” he said to his buddy, Norm, “I’m going to marry her.” And, he did! They were just shy of 60 years together when Ken went home to heaven in 2009. 

Dorie’s life revolved around her family and her church. She was a homemaker, first and foremost. Anything that could be home-made was. The breads, coffee cakes, cookies, and pies were so, so good. She cooked and canned everything in sight, and it was all delicious. Dorie was a seamstress, too, making dresses and matching pajamas and robes for the girls, not to mention outfits for baby dolls, trolls, and Barbie dolls! She enjoyed bowling, cake decorating, and a good game of Sheepshead. She loved traveling with Ken to his WWII B-17 Holey Joe reunions. She was very proud of her 50+ years of Ladies Aid membership at St. Paul Lutheran Church where she held various offices and served on many, many committees. When she could no longer serve, she missed the hustle and bustle of getting a job done and the fun she had working together with like-minded women who wanted to help their church.

Dorie loved her children and took great pride in her grandchildren and the great-grands who always made her smile. She will be missed by her daughters Joanne Rice, Debra (Dennis) Kasten, and Barbara (Mark) Schmidt and her son James (Donnamarie) Falk; her grandchildren Steve Rice, Jennifer (Eric) Gray, Jessica Lindsey, Joanna (Ryan) Louis, Matthew (Louise) Kasten, Michael (Stephanie) Kasten, Eric (Brielle) Schmidt, and Krista (Matt) Serafin, and her great grandchildren Norah, Theo, Clara, Zoey, Everly, Bennett, Grayson, Lincoln, and Marin.

Doris is survived by her brother Buzz and sister-in-law Marion, as well as many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth Falk; sister Marge and her husband Norm Schleitwiler; sister Phyllis and her husbands Lester Winkler and Glenn Hass; brother Ken Hinz and his wife Marilyn and brother-in-law Lloyd Falk and his wife Elsie. 

A Christian Memorial Service for Doris will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, October 24, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, with Rev. Kenneth Frey officiating.  Visitation will be held at the church on Thursday morning from 9:00 AM until the hour of the service.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16