Doris VanDam Sopher

A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Doris VanDam Sopher was the heartbeat of her family. She was strong and confident with just the right amount of spunk thrown in and a joyful attitude that never went dim. Doris was blessed to find true love not once, but twice, and when her family tree blossomed to include the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren she treasured she was overjoyed. No stranger to hard work, she lived to serve others and was a pioneer as a female at the United States Post Office. The memories Doris leaves behind will remain forever near and dear to the hearts of those too numerous to count.

Nearly a century has passed since our nation celebrated the victory of WWI. With the war’s end we were recognized as a world leader for the first time, and the eyes of the world were focused on our shores for what was to come. This same year, 1919, was filled with great joy for a young couple from Marcellus, Michigan, as they welcomed a baby girl into their hearts and home on June 17th. Doris A. was the youngest of three girls born to her parents, Roy and Lulu (Swartz) Bartlett, and she was raised on the family farm alongside her sisters, Clara and Kathryn. Each girl was unique as Clara was the social butterfly and Kathryn was a homebody who liked to help with the indoor chores while Doris was content to be outside playing with the animals including Lindy the pig and Buster the dog. She was also known to stomp in the cow pies, swim in Lewis Lake, and climb a tree that still stands on the farmland of her childhood home. Doris attended the Marcellus schools where she played basketball.

Doris graduated from high school and went on to Maher’s Business School thanks to her sister Clara’s friend who was able to pull some strings. With her business degree in hand, she went on to work for the Upjohn Company. Doris later took a job with the United States Postal Service, becoming the first female rural mail carrier. Never one to let anything ruffle her feathers, she was able to drive a stick shift from the passenger seat and deliver the mail. Through the years Doris worked her way up there, eventually putting her business education to good use as the secretary to the Post Master. She loved this job in particular and looked forward to answering children’s letters to Santa. After more than 30 years of dedicated service Doris retired.

Not to be forgotten during her younger years was Doris’s introduction to the man who stole her heart. His name was Fred VanDam, and they met in a rather unconventional way as they were on a double date, but were not each other’s date for the evening. It was about a week later that he showed up at Doris’s home with a compact that he believed was hers. When WWII landed on our doorstep in 1941, Fred went into the Army however the two were smitten and on a furlough they married May 31st, 1943. Together they were blessed with two children, Jeffrey and Luana, and from the moment she became a mother Doris fully embraced the enormity of the task. Her primary focus was always her family. In 1985 she was deeply saddened with Fred’s death.

Shortly thereafter, Doris lost her good friend Marjorie. On her deathbed Marjorie told her husband, Francis, to get in touch with Doris and marry her. He did just that, and they enjoyed married life together until his death in 2000. One day not long after Francis passed away, an acquaintance named Phil Hannar knocked on her door. They were instant companions and spent their days together. He was a beloved person in her life, and he supported her even as her health began to fail. He was by her side watching Lawrence Welk and taking drives in the country.

Throughout her life there was nothing more precious to Doris than her family. She loved traveling with them to places like Disney World, California, Alaska, and extensively throughout the country. Doris was delighted to become a grandmother, and she was an active part of her grandchildren’s lives. She helped raise her grandsons while her daughter was working, and it was her recipe that she and her daughter and daughter-in-law followed every holiday for making “stellar gravy” - potato water with quick stirring. Doris was always there to listen to her children and grandchildren, and her mother’s intuition seemed to always be perfectly in tune as she knew just what her family needed - sometimes before they did!

In her leisure time Doris was one to keep busy for as long as she could. She loved getting in the dirt and working the land as doing so was ingrained in her from the time she was a little girl on the farm. Doris enjoyed gardening and had the most fabulous strawberries in addition to rhubarb and all sorts of other vegetables and flowers. She was athletic and loved swimming, and when traveling others were taking in the sights while Doris was busy studying the land and quality of the dirt.

After suffering a stroke in 2004, Doris began dealing with a decline in her health. Although gradual, her health began limiting her somewhat during her sunset years. About four months ago Doris moved into Wynwood Care Center where she received the care she needed.

When reflecting on the life of Doris VanDam Sopher, words such as hardworking, patient, and compassionate rise to the surface. She lived her life with purpose, and she considered it both her highest calling and her greatest blessing to nurture and care for the children and grandchildren she treasured more than life itself. Doris could find the positive side in every situation, and she was always available with a listening ear. She will be deeply missed and forever remembered by her friends and loved ones.

Doris A. VanDam Sopher of Portage died March 26, 2013. Doris’s family includes her children, Jeff (Susan) VanDam and Luana VanDam; stepdaughter, Peggy O’Connor; grandchildren, Josh & Jake Turner, Emily (Ryan) Joki, Jennifer (Carl) VanderWall, and Ryan (Natalie) Mauchmar; great-grandchildren, Noah, Noel, Ahna, Jaden, Daniel & David as well as many other relatives. Doris was preceded in death by her first husband, Fred VanDam; her second husband, Francis Sopher; and her sisters, Clara Chandler and Kathryn Wagar. Visit with her family Saturday, March 30, 2013, from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at Life Story Funeral Home, Portage; 5975 Lovers Lane (344-5600), where a funeral service will follow at 1:00 p.m. Please visit Doris’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can archive a memory or photo and sign her memory book. Memorial Donations may be directed Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan.