- Date Of Birth: June 12, 1911
- Date Of Death: September 6, 2008
- State: Michigan
Doris Marie Flanders (“Dodo”) of Ionia, aged 97, beloved mother, grandmother, and friend, went to be with the Lord on Saturday, September 6, 2008 in Ionia, Michigan. She was born in Syracuse, New York, on June 12, 1911, the daughter of Benjamin and Lena Soules Aikens. In her young childhood, Doris came to Michigan with her mother and older brother, Floyd, where they lived for a time in Lakeview with Grandpa Barton. She married Willis Hubert Flanders (“Gus”) in Michigan City, Indiana on December 21, 1929 and they lived in Ionia where he was a city firefighter for almost four decades. He preceded Doris in death on December 25, 1970 but remained her one true love until her last breath.
Cooking delicious, nutritious meals and keeping an immaculate house were important endeavors for Doris, and she also loved to keep up with the latest news and gossip on current movie stars and politicians. Her family, both immediate and extended, was always the primary focus of her joy. She was well-known for her beautiful Christmas cookies, especially soft sugar cookies and “church windows,” as well as her tasty cakes and pies, which she readily shared with anyone who was hungry.
For a number of years in the 1970s and 1980s, Doris worked at Ardens, a small Ionia manufacturer of household items such as dish cloths and towels, scrubbies, and laundry bags. She was a long-time member of First Baptist Church in Ionia and the Ionia Moose Lodge, where she enjoyed helping with their annual, fund-raising turkey dinners.
In addition to her husband Willis, Mrs. Flanders was predeceased by her parents and brother, Floyd Aikens. Left behind to celebrate her life and cherish her memory are her daughter, Wanda Lou “Monie” (George) Bennett and son, Joseph (Sally) Flanders, both of Ionia, seven prized grandchildren, Kirk (Charlotte) Bennett, Kim Bennett, Kelly (Rick) Mendez, Timothy (Sara) Flanders, and Jennifer, Christian, and Patrick Flanders, as well as eight great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. Also surviving are her loving siblings, Max (Francis) Raglin of Belding and Barbara Raglin of Ionia. Doris will also be greatly missed by many extended family members, neighbors, and friends.
