Doris S. Swoyer

Doris S. Swoyer, age 93, of Grants Pass, died Thursday, March 7, 2013 at The Suites Assisted Living with her daughter by her side.

A private service for family and friends will be held at a later date. Hull & Hull Funeral Directors are in charge of arrangements.

Remembrances may be made to Lovejoy Hospice, 939 SE 8th Street, Grants Pass, Oregon 97526, Josephine County Animal Shelter, 1420 Brookside Blvd, Grants Pass, Oregon 97526 or Gospel Rescue Mission, PO Box 190, Grants Pass, Oregon.

Doris was born December 18, 1919 in Reading, Pennsylvania to Paul & Bessie Good. After high school she married Richard I. Swoyer on June 15, 1941 in Elkton, Maryland. During World War II, while her husband was serving in the United States Army, she worked as a master seamstress at Talbots, making the parachutes that dropped supply jeeps behind enemy lines for D-day. After the war she worked as a master seamstress for several textile companies. In 1948 she became a full-time mother/homemaker. Following the death of her husband in 2004 she moved to Grants Pass to live with her daughter’s family.

Doris was a member of the Rosedale United Church of Christ in Reading, Pennsylvania for many years. She volunteered for several churches and the Reading hospital. She was a member and volunteer for Salvation Army ministries in Grants Pass, Oregon.

An avid flower gardener and master seamstress, Doris also enjoyed collecting items from nature, such as pine cones, seashells, and leaves. She especially loved her cat “Misty” and enjoyed spending time with family.

Survivors include a daughter, Debra (Swoyer) Filer and husband Douglas of Grants Pass, Oregon; a son, Douglas Swoyer and wife Adrianne of Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania; and two grandsons, Douglas Filer II of Ontario, Oregon and Gregory Filer of El Centro, California.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Swoyer and a sister, Evelyn Yerger.