Doris June Holmberg, age 91, of Oak Harbor, went into the presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday, April 24, 2016.
Doris was born on May 29, 1924, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Frank and Virginia (Meyer) Kelsey.
She graduated from high school in Brooklyn and attended Adelphi University in Long Island, N.Y., where she received a nursing degree.
On June 9, 1946, she married Roy Holmberg. The couple lived in New York, Tennessee, South Carolina, Michigan, Ohio and Florida. Doris continued to live in Florida after her husband’s death in 1995, moving to Virginia in 2005, and later to Oak Harbor in 2009.
Doris worked as a registered nurse for 50 years. Her career encompassed hospital nursing, working as an industrial nurse for General Motors and home health care.
Her passion was for her Savior, her husband and her children. She loved everyone with all her heart.
Doris loved to write, and took a writer’s course in her late 50s, which led to her writing several articles that were published in Christian magazines. She volunteered as a camp nurse at church camps in Ohio and Michigan for many years. She taught Sunday school, vacation Bible school and Child Evangelism 5-Day Clubs, telling boys and girls about Jesus.
After Roy died (known to the family as “Bumpa”), she decided to minister to the widows in her community. For nearly 10 years, she would go to the store, purchase flowers and take them to the widows in her community and pray with them.
She took two mission trips to Haiti to work with the poor. One trip was with Bumpa; and five years after he passed away, she went again. This would be her last mission trip at the age of 75. On this trip, she did nursing and taught Bible stories. The leader of the trip tried to discourage her from going due to her age, to which she responded, “God will help me do this.” So, she went. Often, she had to walk up hills and long distances even when others thought this was too much for her.
Doris loved the word of God. Probably the Bible verse she would write most often in books or cards that she gave to people was Philippians 4:19, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Doris is survived by four children, Tom, Jerry, Cheryl and Nancy; 13 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband and by her son Lee.
The family would like to thank Michelle McKinley and the staff at North Whidbey Adult Family Home for the years of loving care the staff demonstrated to Doris.
In keeping with her wishes, no local service will be held. She will be interred next to Roy in Florida and the family will conduct a memorial service for her there. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Teen Mission Memorial Fund, which assists young people who wish to experience the blessing of being a part of a short-term mission, either foreign or domestic. Gifts can be mailed to Family Bible Church, Teen Mission Memorial Fund, 2760 N. Heller Road, Oak Harbor, WA 98277. Family and friends are encouraged to share memories and condolences at www.whidbeymemorial.com
