Doris (Wood) Stephens

Doris, our mother, nana, great-grandmother, aunt, and loyal friend, passed away peacefully on August 1, 2022 at the By The River Residential Care Center in Marlborough, Connecticut surrounded by her daughters and loving family, at the age of 93.

Doris (Wood) Stephens was born in Norwich, Connecticut on June 5, 1929, daughter of Fred Delor Wood and Doris (Main) Wood. She attended Norwich Free Academy, and later attended nursing school at Backus Hospital. On October 11, 1952, she married Ronald Stephens at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral of Norwich.

For all who knew her, Doris was loving, curious, and social, still making new friends through her last weeks.  She loved learning new things and despite initial hesitation, was able to master the use of the latest technology, including Facebook, video calling, and texting in order to stay in contact with her 12 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

After the passing of her husband Ronald, Doris became the center of the family and enjoyed her reign as matriarch.

Doris had a long career as a Registered Nurse, working in a variety of roles at Backus Hospital and Liberty Hall Nursing Home, and later as a school nurse at Lyman School in Lebanon, Connecticut.

Happiest with her family, she enjoyed time with them in Connecticut, Florida, Arizona, Columbia Lake, and Misquamicut Beach.  Doris loved the water and continued to out-dive her relatives well into her 80s. She provided boating safety tips to her family at the lake house until her death.

She leaves her most favorite legacy, her large and loving family: her four daughters and their husbands; Debra Langanke (David), Denise Egan (Thomas), Diana Sadlon (Andrew), and Nancy Millerd (Robert). She held a special place in her heart for her twelve grandchildren: Christopher (Rebecca), Stephen (Nicole), Paul (Angie), Daniel (Mandy), Laura (Andrew), Brian, Ron, Julie (Anthony), Lauren, Joey (Courtney), Andrew (Jessica), and JD.  She was the proud great-grandmother to sixteen (and counting!) and loved her many nieces and nephews.  She was predeceased by her husband, Ronald, her sister, Irene Gifford and brother, Eugene Krause.

The family will receive guests at St. Columba Church, Columbia, CT at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 6, 2022 followed by a mass at 2:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Stephens Family Memorial Fund at the Saxton B. Little Free Library, 319 Route 87, Columbia, CT 06237.