Doris Gifford, 91

Doris Gifford, age 91 of Waucoma, Iowa, died Monday, July 8, 2019, at Hillcrest Home in Sumner, Iowa.
Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 13, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church in rural Waucoma, Rev. Caroline Engelbrecht presiding.
Interment will be at St. John’s Stapleton Cemetery, rural Waucoma with Gary Rieck, Ben Cutsforth, Larry Stange, Jamie Johnson, Trent Johnson and Lindsay Rieck serving as pallbearers.
Friends may greet the family from 4:00 -7:00 p.m. Friday, July 12, 2019, at Hugeback Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in Fredericksburg. Visitation continues an hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday.  Online condolences for Doris' family may be left at hugebackfuneralhome.com
Doris Corinne (Kilcher) Gifford was born September 13, 1927, in rural Waucoma, the daughter of William A. and Lillian (Block) Kilcher. She attended country school in rural Waucoma and graduated from Alpha High School in 1946. Doris continued her education at Upper Iowa University in Fayette earning a degree in education. She taught in country schools in the Waucoma area for several years.
Doris married her high school sweetheart, Gerald (Jerry) Gifford, on July 24, 1948, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Ia. The couple resided in Charles City for a short time before returning to the Lawler/Waucoma area to begin farming. Doris was an integral part of the farming operation. She helped in the fields, took care of the animals, grew a garden and tended to all the necessities of a household.
Doris had a deep love for and connection to animals. She would spend many hours attending to them. Once an animal was brought onto the Gifford farm, it was there for life. Doris spent her entire life on the farm, only leaving in the last few weeks because of health issues.
Doris and Jerry raised racing trotting horses in the 1970’s and 80’s that competed in sulky races in the Midwest. Doris liked to garden, paint and put together puzzles. She also sang and played guitar with her husband and area musicians. Doris enjoyed taking a lighthouse tour with neighbors and friends to Michigan.
She was very active in her church and the oldest lifetime member of St. John’s Stapleton Lutheran Church. She was considered by all to be a good neighbor willing to help when and however she could.
Doris is survived by many nieces and nephews and her beloved cats, Puff and Penny.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Jerry in 2005; a sister, Elaine(Vern)Johnson; two brothers William "Bill” Kilcher: and a stillborn brother.