Doris Sprague Doty

Wellsville, NY - Doris Sprague Doty died on August 5, 2015 at Jones Memorial Hospital in Wellsville, NY after a very short illness.  She was fortunate enough to fulfill her desire to live independently at home, with minimal assistance, until her admission to the hospital two days prior.

Doris was born on September 17, 1924 and was the only child of the late Harold and Nellie (Simon) Sprague of Dansville, NY.  She is survived by her three children, Don Pender and his wife Linda, Carol Winig and her husband Steven and Scott Pender and his wife Sindi all of whom live in Florida. She also has five grandchildren and one great granddaughter. She was predeceased by her grandson Jonathan Pender, who we like to think escorted her, along with Lucy her cat, as she left this world to enter the next. She is also survived by Bess Pender, her loving daughter-in-law.

Doris had an illustrious career teaching primarily kindergarten and occasionally first grade. She began her teaching career in Niagara Falls as a new college graduate. She is best known and fondly remembered by many former students in Dansville who would still recognize her and call out a “hello and you were my favorite teacher!”  Mom was very creative in her teaching methods and made learning a unique experience that created lifelong learning habits for her young students.  She moved to Florida in 1969 and while teaching kindergarten in the Broward County School System, her lesson plans were recognized for their creativity and were incorporated into Florida State University’s College of Education Curriculum as a model.

Doris married her college sweetheart, Dr. Mike Doty, and left Florida to move to Wellsville in 1975. She was fortunate enough to have made an incredible amount of wonderful friends in Wellsville. Those friends are the reason she was able to staunchly maintain the independent lifestyle that was so important to her, and for that, the family thanks you.

Friends are invited to join Doris’s family and celebrate her life at 11:00 am Thursday, September 17th (her 91st birthday) at the J. W. Embser Sons Funeral Home Inc., 34 W. State Street in Wellsville, NY. Please come and share your memories. Memorial donations can be made to the Monday Club % Alice Stevens, Treasurer, 72 Chestnut Street, Wellsville, NY 14895. Burial will be at Greenmount Cemetery in Dansville. To leave online condolences, please visit www.embserfuneralhome.com.