- Date Of Birth: July 19, 1918
- Date Of Death: December 11, 2019
- State: Colorado
Doris Pauline Triplett was born in Iowa on July 19, 1918, the eldest of 4 children. Her father was killed in a farming accident when she was 12, and she helped her mother raise her siblings during the depression. She said it wasn’t too bad really, because everyone was in the same boat. You don’t realize how poor you are if everyone you know is poor as well. You had to make do or do without. A saying she grew up with is: “What cannot be cured, must be endured.”
Doris took classes at CU in Boulder and taught school for a brief time back in Iowa (a one room school house – first thru sixth grade) but didn’t really care for teaching. She moved in with a cousin in Omaha and worked as a dispatcher for United Air Lines. Which is where she met her future husband – United Captain Howard W. Reid.
Doris and Howard were married in 1947, lived in Denver and had 2 children: John and Janet. In 1905 Howard’s father had homesteaded 50 miles NE of Denver, and Howard continued to run the dryland wheat farm as well as fly. Doris cooked 3 meals plus snacks for crews of up to 12 men for many years during harvest, although most of the year the family lived in East Denver.
Doris, a life-long learner, took many classes at Emily Griffith Opportunity School, was active as a troop leader in both boy scouts and girl scouts, belonged to 2 bridge groups, was active in Bible study, was a voracious reader, the farm accountant and a talented slalom water skier, as well as a participant in two bowling leagues. Her house was where all her kid’s friends liked to hang out and she always had home baked treats ready. The family enjoyed camping and many fun vacation trips. Their next-door neighbor was a well-known physician, specializing in Preemie babies – and when she gave lectures in Europe, Doris would go with her – they made several overseas trips together.
After mandatory retirement from United at age 60, Howard bought his first single engine plane – a Cessna Centurion 4-seater. He built a hangar and a lighted runway at the farm and joined International Flying Farmers. And so began a new chapter.
Doris and Howard moved to the farm permanently in 1974. In addition to traveling to Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East commercially, they went on many, many flights in that little plane, often taking family with them. Doris became quite a good navigator. Eventually he upgraded to a six-seater Cessna Centurion Turbo and then they could take John or Jan’s family along. They flew to Canada, Alaska, the Bahamas, Mexico, Central America and many, many states in the U.S. This was also when their love of cruises began… with the Flying Farmers or other Shrine Air Patrol members. They cruised to Alaska, the Bahamas, the Great Lakes, the Panama Canal, the Mexican Riviera and many others.
And still Doris cooked for the harvest crews. With the advent of modern, more efficient farm equipment the number of workers diminished, but they still needed to be fed. And Doris was a very good cook and baker.
Howard passed in 2005 and Doris continued to live on the farm until 2009 when she moved to Someren Glen – an adult independent living community in Denver.
Doris broke her hip in February 2018 and had to move to skilled nursing. Living in that situation isn’t anyone’s dream, but she was a “bloom where you are planted” type of person. She retained her great sense of humor and her graciousness and was well loved by the staff. She participated in most of the activities offered and always looked on the bright side.
