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Doris Cummings, 95

Doris Helen Cummings (Klotzbach), age 95, of Coeur d’Alene, died Sept. 16, 2019, at her home. She was born in Basom, N.Y. on March 22, 1924, to Jacob and Helen Klotzbach. She grew up on the family farm with eight brothers and sisters. She attended Akron (New York) High School, where she met the love of her life, Bernard Cummings.

Doris and Bernard (Bern) were married Oct. 17, 1942. America was heavily involved in World War II. Bern joined the Army Air Corps and left for duty in March of 1943. He was assigned to train as a waist gunner on a B-17G Bomber. Doris was able to visit Bern during his training, with the final stateside visit in Lakeland, Fla., in January of 1944. That month, Bern started his overseas mission. His B-17G was shot down in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, in April of 1944, and he was a POW in Stalag 17B. Bern and Doris’s first child, Darold was born in June of 1944, while Bern was a POW.

Bern returned to New York in September 1945, after the war was over. Doris and Bern lived in an apartment that was in the rear of Doris’s parents’ house while Bern was looking for work. Jobs were scarce at the time, so the family moved to Southern California in September of 1947 for better employment opportunities. Bern went to work for North American Aviation, in Inglewood, Calif. Daughter Virginia (“Ginny”) was born Sept. 8, 1948. Second daughter, Donna, was born in 1952.

The family enjoyed regular camping and boating trips to the Colorado River from the 1950s to the 1970s. Doris ran a great campground and was continually cooking the fish and game that Bern brought back from fishing and hunting outings. Swimming and water-skiing were regular events for the whole family, followed by campfires under the stars.

Doris was always a gracious host, and the Cummings family home was always filled with friends and relatives. The family house in Long Beach had a swimming pool and was home to the family and relatives gathering from 1968 to 1996.

Doris worked for Sears from 1961 to 1983 and had a great many work friends. Her social activities included Merry Matrons, being a Cub Scout den mother and a Girl Scout leader. In addition, she was an active member of PEO, played in various bridge groups and traveled extensively with the Rambling Rovers. She continued her love of golf at Ponderosa and Rim Rock golf courses.

Doris was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Bern, in 1997. In 2002, she moved to Coeur d’Alene, to be closer to her family. Daughter, Ginny, had moved to St. Maries in 1979, and daughter, Donna, moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1995. Son, Darold, and his wife, Karen, moved to Coeur d’Alene in 2004. At that time, the entire immediate family was again reunited and Doris’s home became the gathering place for family events. Doris was blessed with eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. In addition, she was grateful for her extended family of three step-children and their families.

The memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, at Yates Funeral Home, Coeur d’Alene Chapel. The family prefers contributions to Hospice of North Idaho, 2290 W. Prairie Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815 or PEO Foundation, Chapter BF, c/o Cheryl Dickenson, 607 N. Coles Loop, Post Falls, ID 83854. You may visit Doris’s online memorial and leave condolences at www.yatesfuneral homes.com.