Doris Reese

February 17, 1935 — December 25, 2024

Doris Reese

Service Details

Doris Reese, 89 of Des Moines, Iowa passed away peacefully on Christmas day, December 25, 2024. She was born on February 17, 1935, in Osage, Iowa to Willian Soy (father) and Helen Roy (mother).

Doris’ family lived in Ames, Iowa for most of her childhood. She loved to spend summers with her grandma and grandpa in Osage, Iowa. She also loved time she spent with her sister Elsie and cousin Liz in Grafton, Iowa on her Uncle Clair and Aunt Susie Steiger’s farm. This may be where, at a very young age, she became a picky eater and developed a dislike for cheese and dairy. She didn’t really like the chores on the farm either, collecting eggs from unfriendly chickens or later ringing their necks and plucking feathers. She did develop a joy for cooking from her aunts who all lived in that area.

Doris attended St. Cecilia Catholic school and finished the eighth grade, but her father left the family, so she helped care for her younger sisters and brothers (there were 7 in all) while her mom worked to support them. Doris was the second oldest, and her mom said “the more responsible one” between her and her older sister. Maybe a bit “bossy” some siblings would say. Other siblings said she was the glue that kept everyone together. She also cleaned houses for extra money, which she did well into her retirement years. She was very passionate about cleaning. Many said, “her floors were clean enough to eat off them.”

Doris met Robert “the love of her life”, through his sister Loraine while working at the Ames bus station. They were married in 1953. Robert was in the Navy during the Korean war and when he came home, he worked for several small newspapers, one in Knoxville, Iowa where they lived for a while before their son John was born in 1955. Robin, their daughter arrived four years later in 1959. Soon after that they moved to a brand-new housing development in Des Moines on the east side which they called home for many years. Robert worked for the Des Moines Register and Tribune for 20+ years setting lead type and then transitioning to computer-based printing.

Doris’s career began as a full-time stay-at-home mom raising kids. She had a specific schedule for dusting, vacuuming, laundry, ironing, stripping and waxing floors. She cooked everything homemade except when she hired a babysitter for the evening and we got an occasional Swanson TV dinner. She was also involved in the school PTA and St. Peter’s parish where she taught Catechism.

Robert had a 1955 T-bird that he restored. On weekends the family of 4 would pile into this 2-seater to attend T-bird club meetings having potlucks and picnics all over Iowa and surrounding areas. Family was important to them, so they spent many weekends visiting relatives on both sides of the family, building bonds with aunts, uncles and cousins.

Robert worked at the Register and Tribune when there were rumors about layoffs Doris decided to go back to school to get her GED. The family was so proud of her. She got a job working for Walgreens and worked her way up to office manager. A few years later she began her second career working full-time at Helzberg’s jewelry store at Valley West Mall. Along with Cynthia Hathaway, her lifelong friend and associate, they kept their office clean and running efficiently for more than 20 years.

After Robert passed away in 1990, Doris was able to see and enjoy all the places she dreamed of going. She had a friend, Toots, who was a bus tour guide for Larry Ritland Bus tours. She took bus trips to New Orleans and Branson Missouri with her cousin Liz, she flew to Hawaii with her ex-daughter in-law’s mom and took a helicopter ride over the volcanos. Some of her other favorite trips were to New York City to see a Broadway play, “Annie Get Your Gun”, flying over the Grand Canyon, experiencing Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore, Bryce Canyon and Hollywood.

Doris was such a hard worker but when she did take a break and put her feet up you would see her with a cold bottle of Coca Cola and a candy bar, sweet roll or bowl of buttered Kix cereal. She loved watching Iowa State basketball and football games, dressed head to toe with Iowa State gear down to her ISU koozie and slippers. She was a picky eater; however, she loved eating out at Ted’s Coney Island, Maid-Rites or Chick-fil-A. Her other passion was shopping, her favorites were Costco, TJ Maxx and Marshals, always searching for a bargain. It was hard to keep up with her speed walking through the stores because she knew exactly what she needed. She had a pillow with the quote “when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping”.

She liked to keep busy even into retirement, she worked at Walgreens as the “Hallmark lady” replacing, ordering and tidying up greeting cards and envelopes for many store locations. She also had a few houses she cleaned for friends and acquaintances. It kept her in tip top shape for her age. Her neighbors in her Senior apartment complex would often call on her when they had lost something under a bed or couch because she could retrieve it and still stand back up without assistance.

She loved having company and kept a spare bedroom in her apartment for overnight guests. She treasured times with her niece Julie who stayed often while going to school at Drake. She loved having her sister-in-law Pat close by in the same apartment complex and her cousin Sherry too. She also lit up whenever her grandkids and great grandkids came to visit and cherished the times when her grandsons would stop for lunch with her when they were in the area.

Doris’s last couple years were spent at Trinity Center at Luther Park after she fell and had a 2 week stay in the hospital. Trinity Center was a blessing to both of us. While in the nursing home they made sure she had her walker in case of unsteadiness, but they were always asking her to “slow it down”. Mom and I loved to go for walks around the gardens sitting in different areas and enjoying the smell of the flowers, especially the roses and lilacs. We used to have little picnics on our walks with many of her favorite foods, or we just enjoyed sitting together feeling the sunshine on our faces. The staff all around Luther Park would always stop to say, “Hi Doris” or give her a hug. Many said she was a treasure to be with. Those attending to her made sure she had a coke and a sweet treat whenever she wanted it. The nurses were so attentive and always made sure she was clean, dressed appropriately and ready to greet the day. The minister AJ was across the hall from her and made sure she could make it to mass or outdoors for a breath of fresh air. Blessing to all the staff at Trinity Center they were amazing, they cared for mom like she was family.

Doris is survived by her sisters Elsie Baden (Ken), Pat (Cliff) Lieske, Jeanne Miller, and brother Bill (Carol) Soy, her sister in-laws Dolores Landreth, Pat Orris, and by her children, son John (Joan) Reese and daughter Robin (Dennis) Wineland. She has one granddaughter Hannah Reese (son John) and three grandsons (daughter Robin) Jon (Nikki) Tenborg, Matthew (Andrea) Tenborg, and Lucas (Stevie) Tenborg. She also has 9 great grandchildren, six girls and three boys. (Jon and Nikki) Hunter, Colbie, Alex and Kinnick, (Matthew and Andrea) Margot and Milo, (Lucas and Stevie) Blair, Tristan and Aurora. She also has 3 step grandchildren. Brent Farrell, LaTasha Wineland and Bobbie Halbrook and 5 step-great grandchildren (Bobbie) Rylie, Lincoln, Eveline and (LaTasha) Tabitha and Joselynn.

She is proceeded in death by her loving husband Robert of 37 years and parents William Soy (father) and Helen Soy (mother) her older sister Delores (Davis) and younger brother Joe Soy, brother in-law Jack (Jean) Reese, and sister in-laws Lorraine Hagen and Virginia (Glen) Solberg.

No funeral services at this time, a celebration of life will be planned at a later date.

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