Doris J. Root

Doris Jewell Root died October 27th, 2012, in Ithaca NY. Born in 1912 to Ralph Wesley and Mabel May Jewell, Doris came of age during the Great Depression. In 1933 she and Charles A. Root Jr. drove a Model A from Plymouth, MI to Great Bend, IN and were married in a judge's living room with only the judge's family to witness. They honeymooned at the Chicago World's Fair. In 1936 their only son, Richard Bruce (Dick) was born. They settled in Plymouth, MI where Doris waited tables while Charles worked on the family farm. They became active in the Democratic party and she was appointed branch manager for the Michigan State Department, issuing titles and license plates while Charles got a job at Ford Motors and became an active member of the newly formed UAW. They retired to Venice, FL and spent many happy years together. After Charles' death in 2000, Doris continued to live in their Florida home until 2012. Then she moved to Ithaca, NY to be near her son, Dick, her grandchildren, Jenny McGuire and Bryan Root, four great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. Doris was only 4’10", but she had a very big personality, a deep curiosity and a piercing intelligence, which she never lost. She faced hardship and death with laughter and leaves a trail of light behind her.