Eileen Maria Doris

Eileen passed away on March 2, 2023, at the age of 22. She was born in Philadelphia, and lived in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and West Virginia, but it was Upstate New York that she always called home. Eileen loved nature and science. She collected fossils, bones, birds’ nests, rocks and shells, and loved looking for toads, peepers, and salamanders. Eileen loved animals, most especially cats, both wild and domestic, and over the years she rescued and fostered over a dozen kittens. Sam Kittywinks was her dear fur baby, most beloved of all her cats.

Eileen loved singing and music, especially Broadway musicals. She had a beautiful voice, and often said that she felt happiest and most herself on stage; she lit up whenever she was performing.  Words were where she lived and she was rarely without a book—or several. Eileen read everything, indiscriminately, but her all-time favorite was Alice Through the Looking Glass, and she often referred to Alice as her spirit animal. She loved journaling and creative writing as well as drawing, painting and photography, and she had a keen artistic eye. Eileen was passionate about social justice and was active in movements for social change. She attended Davis and Elkins College, where she worked in the library and was on the debate team.

Eileen was preceded in death by her grandparents, John L. Doris and Marjorie Fouts Doris. She is survived by her loving family: her mother Joan Doris; her aunts Sara Doris, Ellen Doris, Margaret Doris-Pierce, and Laura Niemi; her uncles John Doris, Bob Strachota, and Charlie Pierce; and her cousins Micky Strachota, Kathleen Yi Rong Strachota, Abraham Doris-Down, Brendan Doris-Pierce, and Molly Doris-Pierce. She is deeply missed.

In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Eileen’s life can be made to:

The Erie County SPCA, 300 Harlem Road, West Seneca NY 14224, https://yourspca.org/donatenow/

The Snow Leopard Trust, https://snowleopard.org

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