Doris Evelyn Buchert, 86, was born July 10, 1923, in Cozad, Neb. Doris lived in Alaska for 36 years, from 1950 to 1961, from 1974 to 1985, and from 1995 to present. She died of lung cancer Oct. 24 at her home in Palmer. Her daughter Mary was at her side. Doris’ father came to Ellis Island from Germany in 1906. Doris’ mother, Elizabeth Fern Knoedler of German and Irish descents, settled in Cozad where Doris was born the fifth daughter. Her only brother was born two years later. The children, ages 11, 10, 9, 7, 6 and 4 were left fatherless when their father died of appendicitis in September of 1929 at age 41.

Doris’ mother worked while the children watched after one another and in later years the older sisters helped to put successive younger ones through nursing school. Doris, youngest of the daughters, did bicycle telegraph communication delivery from overseas during World War II. Her older sisters worked as nurses aboard hospital ships and at home.

Doris married Clarence Lynn Wright who later served aboard the USS Zeus doing warship repair. Doris sometimes moved as her husband was moved to other duty stations but made North Platte, Neb., her primary home. When the war ended the family settled on land in North Platte. Here Doris had four of her five oldest children. A dream to go north took the family of seven across mud and gravel Canadian and Alaska roads until they reached the Alaskan Territory town of Wasilla, population 250, mid-June of 1950. Here they homesteaded 160 acres in two parcels; first, on the dirt one-track Big Lake road where Doris often made the “bus” runs to school and picked up one other student at Pittman almost freezing her fingers one time in the heater-less truck. Finding it too difficult to get her children to school here, they relinquished this homestead in 1953, and Doris and family purchased improvements and “proved up” on an 80-acre homestead on Fishhook Road outside Wasilla. In 1954 Doris took on the cook duties for farmhands as the family sold and purchased brother-in-law Lonnie Wright’s farm just outside Palmer; sending her children to Palmer school for one year. Here, sixth child, daughter Rebecca, was born. School bus routes established by the Fleckensteins, in Wasilla, Doris and family sold this farm and filed on and proved up on an 80-acre homestead at the Big Lake junction where the dirt road toward Fairbanks ended at Willow Creek. Here Doris and her family donated the land and helped build the Big Lake Baptist Mission, holding early services with Colman lanterns in a large Army tent. Managing her family, Doris sewed clothes and kept a busy household of her by now eight children, kept a large and ample garden, and planted flowers. Her favorites were: inside, orange and red geraniums, outside, sweet peas, bachelor buttons, and poppies. Hungry children could always count on a large pan of fresh baked cinnamon rolls or sugar coated fry bread still being fried and rolled as they arrived home from school. Doris built character in her eight children, loving, watching over us. “That look,” like she could see everything from the front to the back of her head and beyond that you had ever done, and especially the latest thing of question. The “one liners” she has always been noted for by her children such as: “I would think that over if I were you,” met that she already knew all about it, everything you could think, each decision you could make had already been weighed by her — she knew all the options, and you had better get it right. It was love we knew, that backed her discipline of her children. It was love that promoted the absolute sincerity behind the sternness in her voice, and it was love that never faltered when to help her children think things through, to stay focused on our particular issue until in resolve, Doris’ eyes met yours and you both knew you could take it from there. Doris’ words always carried through.

Doris always had a large vegetable garden with ample vegetables lasting through the summer, but early summer she sent us out to gather tender little lamb’s quarters, and young dandelion greens for meals as she requested. In the fall, Doris often brought in very large carrot and potato yields both, in preparation, to last until spring. The older children often were set by Doris around a full wash tubs of carrots, each of us with peelers, readying the harvest for the canning jars. In Alaska, Doris prepared throughout the years our caribou and moose and canned large amounts of fish and moose meat from which she drew to help prepare school lunches. Doris always canned the bones with the salmon, believing them good for her children. Doris watched over other game carefully, roasts were well done and tender, and every steak was cooked so well done that it was near to hard — each and every time throughout our childhood.

In the fall of 1961, two years after Alaskan statehood when a newly completed home burned to the ground; not able to start over going into winter; Doris and her family with the exception of their oldest daughter, moved to back to North Platte, then to the Kansas farming community near Parsons. In Kansas Doris directed other canning and preparation activities of the household as she made sure that all worked together to help with family efforts wherever we were.

After her children were grown, her life changed by an absent spouse and distance divorce. In 1974 Doris began the move back to her Alaska with her youngest son John and his adopted duck in tow. Doris rented a small home and began her first work outside the home. Her efficiency saw her as one of McDonald’s best counter sales clerks. Her boss and repeat customers said, “Your line is always the longest because you finish first and are accurate.” Here Doris attended the Anchorage Baptist Temple with son John. Doris sometimes walked in -30 degree weather to get to church. Here, an administrator of the ABT Christian Schools insisted upon picking her up personally and driving Doris and her son to church the next Sunday. Son John then helped in the Bus Ministry helping to get young children to the bus, something which pleased Doris greatly. Doubling up on jobs, Doris hired to do clothing alterations for the Doolies Company in the evenings. In 1977 at age 54, Doris began a state job and retired after 11 years as Cook III at API; often running the whole kitchen alone as Cook I.

Near retirement Doris met and married Charles A. (Chuck) Buchert, a horse trainer and lay veterinarian, and with new step-daughter Tracy Buchert and step-son Randy Buchert, they made their new home in Anchorage for a time where they lived for several years where Doris and Charles both worked. After Randy and Tracy had set out on their new paths, Doris and Charles (Chuck) Buchert sold their home in 1987 and bought a large motor home, and for a few years traveled the continental U.S. extensively. During this time Doris often gathered genealogy for the rest of the family. Doris and Dad Buchert often wintered in Desert Center, Calif., before buying and settling in Riggins, Idaho. In Riggins, Doris again raised a garden and canned fruit from the trees while her husband worked in a leather shop building at home. When Charles passed on in Riggins, in 1995, Doris packed up everything and moved back to her beloved Palmer. Here Doris re-united with many friends. She volunteered at the Palmer Senior Center gift shop for many years, the latter years with daughter Mary, retiring her duties only when she was too ill with cancer to continue.

She passed on to be with our Lord the early morning of Oct. 24.

Doris’ sweet and gentle, unassuming and kind disposition graced all who knew her. Doris is at peace now and it would take long arms to reach around her and all our loved ones who surrounded her as she resides with our Lord.

We are grateful to Doris’ church family, Heritage Baptist Church of Wasilla, to Pastor Kevin Wyckoff and to so very many friends who have shared with us and given comfort to Doris and to the many friends and their prayers for her as she transcended this life to be with our Lord.

Doris is preceded in death by her parents and maternal and paternal grandparents, by her husband Charles A. Buchert, and her sons Jerald L. Wright, and James I. Wright, and by sister Esther M. Muller, and brother Albert P. Knoedler; by son-in-law Earl J. Clabo and grandchildren Annette M. Clabo and Christeen Dee Smyth, and great-grandchild Travis L. Clabo.

She is survived by daughter Sherron K. Farrar and husband Henry E. Farrar of mile 99.5 Old Glenn Highway and Eagle River; daughter Mary E. Clabo of Palmer; daughter Pamela O. Christmas and husband Mark A. Christmas of Bellingham, Wash.; daughter Rebecca L. Simmons of Chanute, Kansas; sons Clayton L. Wright of Erie, Kansas, and John T. Wright and wife Sally J. Wright of Wasilla and by step-children Randy Buchert and wife Kimberly Buchert of Bend, Ore., and Tracy Roberts and husband Bob Roberts of  Spokane Valley, Wash. She is survived by sisters Mary L .Hollis, of Pleasant Hills, Calif., Emma M. Helm, of Sun City West, Ariz., and Goldie E. Barr, of Ukiah, Calif. Doris was blessed by 19 grandchildren, 38 great-grandchildren, and eight great-great-grandchildren.

Doris asked to be cremated, and that friends remember her as she was. She requested that graveside services be held for her in Riggins by her family as her ashes are interned there beside Dad Buchert in the space she has reserved beside him.