[Colorado-Talk] Obituary for Doris Willoughby & Zoom Link

[Dan Burke]

Greetings -

This obituary appeared in the Denver Post this week, and the Zoom inof
was borrowed from another list.

Willoughby, Doris June 29, 1936 - September 8, 2021

Doris Mellott Koerner Willoughby was born on June 29, 1936, in Easton,
PA, and died on September 8, 2021, in Lakewood, CO. She moved to
Boulder, CO, with her family when she was 11 and graduated from
Boulder High School as class valedictorian in 1953.

She earned a bachelor's degree in education from Grinnell College in
Grinnell, IA, in 1957 and taught second grade in Cedar Rapids for 11
years. She met her husband D. Curtis Willoughby in 1966. They were
married on June 24, 1967, in Cedar Rapids, IA, and honeymooned in
Clear Lake, IA, Los Angeles, and Hawaii. The event in Los Angeles was
the national convention of the National Federation of the Blind, the
first of over fifty NFB conventions for Doris. From the time they met,
Doris became a driver and reader assistant for Curtis. Since he was an
electrical engineer, perhaps the first blind electrical engineer in
the country, and most of the material he wanted to read was technical,
Doris's assistance was extremely valuable. During the school year
1966/7, Judy Young, a young blind woman, was seeking a degree in
elementary education from the State University of Iowa, but the
University had difficulty finding a place for her to do her student
teaching. Doris volunteered to be the supervising teacher and enjoyed
the opportunity to work with Judy. Together they found techniques to
make Judy an excellent teacher. Doris received her certification in
the teaching of blind children in 1969 after studying during the
summers and evenings and then began teaching blind children. The
Willoughbys moved to Des Moines in 1972, and Doris taught blind
children there until 1993. Curtis was often asked to work on
electrical and telephone equipment at the Iowa Commission for the
Blind, and Doris often assisted. Shortly after they were married, she
said with a smile, "I married an electric wire. In 1990, she received
her ham radio operator's license. Her husband, mother and sisters have
all been hams. Doris continued to work with Curtis on many projects
for nearly 30 years. Doris was an active member of the United
Methodist Church and invited Curtis to join. They continued in this
denomination in Des Moines and in Colorado. The Willoughbys moved to
the Denver area in 1993, and Doris received a master's degree from the
University of Northern Colorado soon after that. Doris taught blind
children in the Adams 12 School District near Denver. She later taught
blind adults at the Colorado Training Center for the Blind, where she
helped students prepare for citizenship and the GED test, among other
things. Doris was a pioneer and leader in the education of blind
children for at least 4 decades and wrote or co-authored 4 books on
that subject. At its 50th anniversary convention, the National
Federation of the Blind honored Doris with its highest award in
education: the Distinguished Teacher of Blind Children Award. Doris
was soft-spoken, kind, generous, creative, and hardworking. She was
preceded in death by her parents Margaret and Harold Koerner. She is
survived by her husband and her sisters (Margery Herrington of Pueblo,
CO, and Marian Lord of Omaha, NE). There are 6 nephews and nieces and
9 great nephews and nieces. Doris was an important part of the
Willoughby and Koerner families, her church congregations, the NFB,
and her communities and will be missed by all. A celebration of
Doris's life will occur at 1:00 pm on Sept. 18, 2021, at the Wheat
Ridge United Methodist Church in Wheat Ridge, CO. Memorial donations
may be made to the National Federation of the Blind or the Wheat Ridge
United Methodist Church. .

Zoom info for Doris's service on Saturday

 WheatRidge UMC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

 Topic: Doris Willoughby Service
 Time: Sep 18, 2021 12:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
 Service begins: Sep 18, 2021 1:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

 Join Zoom Meeting
 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87027962218?pwd=3DOG5IYmpGQ1J0aUxVUTF5dDhkNWs4dz09

 Meeting ID: 870 2796 2218
 Passcode: 582683
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 Meeting ID: 870 2796 2218

-- 
Dan Burke

National Federation of the Blind of Colorado Legislative Co-chair

President, NFB of Denver

"Blindness is not what holds you back.  You can live the life you want!"

My Cell:  406.546.8546
Twitter:  @DallDonal