[Tall-Corn] Doris Willoughby's Obit as sent to Denever Post

[rjray at q.com]

I am still asking, Rich.

 

Bob

 

From: Tall-Corn <tall-corn-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Richard Crawford
via Tall-Corn
Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2021 8:25 AM
To: 'NFB of Iowa Internet Mailing List' <tall-corn at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Richard Crawford <richardpcrawfordjr at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Tall-Corn] Doris Willoughby's Obit as sent to Denever Post

 

Thanks Bob.

Did you ever find anything out about Diane? 

 

From: Tall-Corn <tall-corn-bounces at nfbnet.org
<mailto:tall-corn-bounces at nfbnet.org> > On Behalf Of Bob Ray via Tall-Corn
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2021 6:22 PM
To: 'NFB of Iowa Internet Mailing List' <tall-corn at nfbnet.org
<mailto:tall-corn at nfbnet.org> >
Cc: rjray at q.com <mailto:rjray at q.com> 
Subject: [Tall-Corn] Doris Willoughby's Obit as sent to Denever Post
Importance: High

 

 

Doris Willoughby 

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 fmding 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 Wheatridge United Methodist Church in Wheatridge, CO. Memorial
donations may be made to the National Federation of the Blind or the Wheat
Ridge United Methodist Church. 

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