- Date Of Birth: January 29, 1929
- Date Of Death: November 14, 2016
- State: Colorado
Doris Peterson Bissitt, 87, peacefully passed away on November 14, 2016 in her home in Elbert Colorado.
Doris was born to Axel and Anna Peterson on a homestead east of Elbert on January 29, 1929 in a log cabin. She was the 7th one out of 9 kids. Since it was the beginning of the drought her dad, Axel said Doris was the only thing he raised that year. She was a farm kid and had a horse named Panquitch, but she said her and her brother and sisters would ride anything with hair on it.
She graduated from Elbert High School, but noted that there was not a lot of fanfare since a war was going on. She went to Denver and was the only girl enrolled in Comptometry School. She moved to Colorado Springs, which was a bit more to her liking as it was more of a “cow town” at that time. She had a great adventure for 10 years working at Holly Sugar and dancing at Arthur Murray’s Dance Studio. On weekends she liked to come home and work with her dad. She was a cowgirl at heart.
She married Dean Bissitt after the war. They lived in Elizabeth for a few years before settling in Elbert. They had a small farm and raised 2 kids. She was the heart of the community. She wrote in the Elbert County News about the town of Elbert news. She was the county delegate for the state convention and worked on the Election Board providing her delicious claim-to-fame doughnuts for a snack.
Her biggest passion was her cows. She would name all of them and since she only raised bright and intelligent cows they all knew their names. They came when called, most of the time. She worked tirelessly helping with the 4-H group, the Creekside Boosters. She was a veterinarian to her own animals and advised many a neighbor about the health of their animals when asked.
Doris, or Dodo, as she was affectionately known will be missed by her daughter Julie (Bob) Commons of Palisade CO and her son Stan (Marsha) Bissitt of Elbert CO. She also leaves her grandson Eric (Susanne) Commons and 2 great grandchildren, Isabella and Ethan. She is survived by her sister Norma (Jerry) Dittemore of La Junta CO. Twenty-six nieces and nephews will also miss Aunt Dodo. The community will sorely miss her philosophical outlook, her lemon meringue pie at picnics, her observance of tradition, her help with animals and kids, but most of all we will all miss her laugh.
