Doris Marie (Ottow) Wells
MADISON- Doris Marie (Ottow) Wells, age 89, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 18, 2012. Doris was born on Nov. 19, 1922, in Madison, the daughter of Mary Christine (Johnson) and Erwin Ottow.
She was their only child and had a wonderful childhood growing up on Madison’s eastside. Time with extended family was a source of fun and great memories. Her father’s family also lived on the eastside, in the Atwood neighborhood. Also, Doris enjoyed time with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins from her mother’s hometown of Tomahawk. Sadly, her father passed away somewhat unexpectedly when she was a young girl, but the family rallied around her. Then when she was just 14 years old, she met the love of her life, Hobie Wells, a classmate at East High School. Six years later they married on June 21, 1942. She literally kept the “home fires burning” when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942. Together they shared a life and love of each other, family, and friends. Doris cherished time spent with her family. In 1984, she retired from the Madison Metropolitan School District where she enjoyed her work in what was then called the Instructional Materials Center at the district’s administration building. After 62 years of living on Madison’s eastside, she and Hobie made a move to Sun City, Ariz. where they had 16 wonderful years of retired-life activities. In 2000, they moved back to Madison to be closer to children and grandchildren.
She is survived by her husband and sweetheart, Hobie; daughters, Kathleen (Jeff) Erickson, and Janet Wells (Burr Fraser); nine grandchildren, Bill (Gina) Cleminson of North Carolina, Ben Webster of Madison, Alison (Michael) Anderson of North Carolina, Andy(Meredith) Erickson of Tennessee, Trevor (Jiyoun) Fraser of South Korea, Angela Fraser of Stoughton, Terry (Sara) Fraser, DeVonn Fraser of Madison, and Mandy Fraser of Mt. Horeb; and six great-grandchildren, Caleb, Cody and Claire Cleminson, Mary Wells Anderson, Ayda Marie Fraser and Smith Whitney Erickson.
She was preceded in death by her son, Michael Keith Wells. A memorial service will be at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL HOME, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, at 2 p.m. on Monday, May 21, 2012.
Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 12:30 P.M. until the time of service on Monday.
In lieu of flowers, the family wishes that memorial contributions be made to Agrace HospiceCare.
