Doris Kathryn Ericson, age 89, a resident of rural Hiattville, Kansas, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, June 20, 2025, just one day before what would have been her 90^th birthday.

Doris was born June 21, 1935, in Wichita, Kansas, the daughter of Ross Graham and Charlotte Brehm Graham.  Doris grew up in Kechi, northwest of Wichita where she rode a horse to her one-room school.  Her dad and grandfather, Roy Graham, were horse traders and long-time horsemen.  Before she finished her junior year at Wichita East High School, her parents moved to a farm east of Savonburg, Kansas.  She stayed with her Brehm grandparents.  When school ended, she moved to Savonburg.

A group of hay haulers drove by while she was hanging clothes on the solar clothes dryer and made a bet to see who would get the first date.  Henry won and they were married six months later on December 24, 1952, at the Friends Home Lutheran Church parsonage in Savonburg, Kansas.

Shortly after their marriage, Doris and Henry moved to Sault St. Marie, Michigan, where Henry was stationed with the United States Army.  Following Henry’s military service, the couple returned to Kansas and lived in Elsmore and Hepler before purchasing their own farm near Hiattville in 1962.  They named it Cloverdale Angus Farm, and together they built a life centered around faith, family and community.  Doris was an active farm wife and an essential partner in the day-to-day operations of the farm, where they raised hogs and registered Angus beef cattle.

Doris was a devoted wife and mother to their six children.  While raising her family, she was greatly involved in the Hiattville 4-H Club, serving in a variety of leadership roles.  Long after her own children had grown, Doris remained active in the 4-H community, especially through her service to the Bourbon County Fair.  For many years, she managed the 4-H chuckwagon, where her friendly presence and tireless work were a vital part of the fair experience.  She also served faithfully on the Bourbon County Fair Board and the Bourbon County Extension Council, always willing to lend a hand and lead with kindness and dedication.

In 1990, Doris and Henry were honored with induction into the Kansas Master Farmer Homemaker Group, in recognition of their years of service and commitment to agriculture, Extension work, and community leadership.  In 2007, the Ericson Family was named 4-H Family of the Year, a fitting tribute and legacy rooted in generational care and community investment.  Doris was also an active member of the Starlite FCE where she served many years as the club’s treasurer.  She also was treasurer for the Southwind District FCE Council.  In 2022, she was honored at the state level with the Heart of FCE award. She had been a member of the Eastern Star for over fifty years.

Doris enjoyed gardening and was also active with the Bourbon County Garden Club and had achieved the status of Master Gardener.  In addition to her work on the farm, Doris was also employed by the United States Postal Service for nineteen years, where she was known for her reliability, warmth and genuine connection to those along her route.

Following retirement from the postal service, Doris served for many years as the President of the Bourbon County Chapter of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees.  Doris had planned to celebrate her 90^th birthday on Sunday at the Friends Home Lutheran Church.  However, plans have changed.  She will now be celebrating in Heaven with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, her beloved husband, Henry, her little boy Rusty, her mom and dad and all the other faithful family and friends who have gone on before.  What a celebration that will be!

Left to mourn her passing are her daughters, Debra Lust of Ft. Scott, Karen Ericson, Riley, Kansas, Susan Jones (Roger) of LaHarpe, Kansas and Brenda Peacock (Terry) of Golden, Missouri; her sons, Kevin Ericson (Donna) Frisco, Texas and John Ericson (Ellaine) of Ft. Scott; seventeen grandchildren and twenty-one great-grandchildren with one more on the way.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 A.M. Wednesday, June 25^th at the Friends Home Lutheran Church, 3797 Arizona Rd., Savonburg, Kansas.

Burial will follow in the Elsmore Cemetery.  The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. Tuesday at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Memorials are suggested to the Friends Home Lutheran Church, the Elsmore Alumni Association or the Bourbon County Fair Association and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701.  Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.