EMINENCE, Mo. -- Doris Jeremiah Knuckles was born May 3, 1933, in Eminence, Mo., to Frank and Janie (Williams) Jeremiah. She passed away Dec. 14, 2017, at the age of 84 years.
She was united in marriage to Marvin Knuckles on March 28, 1952, in Salem, Ark., and to this union three children were born.
She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, William (Bill) Jeremiah; and sisters, Virginia (Ginger) Jeremiah Massie, and Betty Jeremiah Rader.
She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Marvin; one daughter, Pamela Correll Fern (Rick) of Nixa, Mo.; two sons, Stephen Knuckles (Vickie) of Albany, Ga., and Kevin Knuckles (Brenda) of Crossville, Ill.; 11 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren and a host of other nieces, nephews, family and friends.
While attending high school in Eminence, Mo., Doris played on the school volleyball team and in 1951, she was crowned Miss Merry Christmas and represented several schools in the annual Christmas parade.
Doris had many friends in high school and met Marvin at a square dance held at the Rainbow Inn in Winona, Mo. After Marvin returned from active duty in Korea with the U.S. Army, the couple married in 1952.
During the early years of their marriage, Doris and Marvin lived in Eminence, St. Louis, Fredericktown, and Pacific, Mo.; Oak Ridge, Tenn.; and Granite City, Ill. After they settled in Arnold, Mo., Doris devoted her time and talents into creating an inviting, welcoming home for her family and friends.
She enjoyed sewing, loved gardening, music, and the outdoors, and also taught in a Montessori pre-school for several years. Doris was close to her siblings and all of her family, and she enjoyed spending time camping and visiting Current River. She was as comfortable in blue jeans as she was in a dress and heels.
After Marvin retired, the couple moved to Poplar Bluff, Mo., and built their own home, which Doris decorated and maintained to host extended family gatherings and frequent visits from friends.
She particularly loved feeding hummingbirds and watching wildlife from their front and back porches. For many years, Doris and Marvin kept and rode their horses around their property and taught their children and grandchildren to enjoy riding and caring for horses.
Doris was a committed Christian and actively served her church through teaching children's Sunday School classes, leading mission support groups, including Girls' Auxiliary, and serving as the secretary of the senior adults' Sunday School class.
She and Marvin served as greeters at First Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff and were involved in the outreach program for the church. She loved God, her husband and her family; she will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved her.
Visitation will be held Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Duncan Funeral Home in Eminence, Mo. Funeral services will be held Monday, Dec. 18, 2017, at 11 a.m. at the Duncan Funeral Chapel in Eminence, Mo. Interment will be in the New Eminence Cemetery under the direction of the Duncan Funeral Home LLC of Eminence, Mo.
Paid