Doris Raney

Doris Alveda Gebhardt Raney was born at home on October 15, 1924 on a farm near Luray, Kansas, the third of six children born to Adolph Christian and Violet Elizabeth (Rose) Gebhardt. She lived most of her adult life in the Norway and Scandia, Kansas area. She is survived by her sons, Richard and Raymond and their families, one sister Connie Vopat, Wichita, and one brother Edward Gebhardt, Senoia, Georgia.

Doris attended Grand Center Country School and graduated from Luray High School in 1943. From the time she entered school, she wanted to be a nurse. She graduated as a Registered Nurse in May 1946 from Asbury Hospital in Salina, Kansas. She worked at Asbury with polio patients and later as a staff nurse.

Doris married Robert “Popeye” Raney on November 28, 1946. They moved to Manhattan, Kansas in 1950. She became the Night Supervisor at the Sisters of St. Joseph Hospital in Manhattan while Bob attended Kansas State University. After his graduation and appointment to the Agronomy Faculty, they moved to Concordia, Kansas where “Popeye” served as Superintendent of KSU’s Irrigation Experiment Field. Doris was employed by the Sisters of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Concordia serving six years as a surgical nurse and later as Night Supervisor.

When “Popeye” was serving as an agronomist in India for KSU, Doris did volunteer nursing, and was also the appointed nurse for the KSU US AID employees stationed in Hyderabad, India.

Doris returned to work at St. Joseph in Concordia after returning from India, and retired in 1988, after devoting 42 years to her nursing career. She continued to provide nursing service to those in the Scandia area. She was resourceful, extremely kind and loving, and always ready to help those who were ill or injured.

God blessed her with happiness, good health, a wonderful family: sons Richard and wife Sonia, Wamego, Kansas, Raymond and wife Jane, Belleville, Kansas; five grandchildren, Robb and wife Traci, daughters Brynn and Audrey, Overland Park, KS; Bryce and wife Olja, Tahoe City, CA; Tara Hake and husband Jeff, children Hadley and Parker, Manhattan, KS; Tiffany Hansen and husband Brandon, children Kaitlyn and Kolby; Tosha Bowen and husband Josh, sons Asher and Easton, Belleville; other relatives and friends.

The most important goals in Doris’ life were to be a good Christian, a good wife, a good mother, a good grandmother and great grandmother.

Doris passed from this life Friday, December 22, 2017 at the Republic County Hospital, Belleville, Kansas at the age of 93 years. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Robert J. Raney October 2, 2013; and three sisters, Helen, Marie and Bonnie.

Memorial services will be held 10:00 A.M. Friday, December 29, 2017 at Tibbetts-Fischer Funeral Home, Belleville, Kansas. Family inurnment in the Scandia Lutheran Cemetery will be private. In lieu of flowers memorials in Doris’ honor may be made to the Family’s Choice to be designated later.