Doris Betsy Gath was born July 2, 1929, at home in Kenneth, MN, to Gus and Reba Gullickson.  She grew up on the farm and graduated from high school in Luverne, MN in 1947.  Since she lived 20+ miles from school, and there weren't any school buses, she rode to school with a boy from a neighboring farm, Elmer Gath.  After her graduation Doris's family quit farming and moved to Buffalo, MN.  In 1949 Doris married Elmer in a small ceremony in Buffalo, and they continued to live in Buffalo for several years, where their 3 children were born, and Doris worked as a secretary.  In 1958 the family moved to an acreage outside of Anoka, MN, and they became owners of a Mister Softee ice cream truck business.  They ran this business until 1967 when they sold it and went to work at the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant.  Doris worked as a secretary there, until the plant was closed, then worked as a secretary at a county extension service office until her retirement in 1987.  On retirement Elmer and Doris moved to Albuquerque, NM, where they lived for 9 years.  They then became "snow birds" for 20 years, having a place in Hardwick, MN, near their daughter, and another place in Laguna Woods, CA, near their son.  In 2012 they made CA their permanent home.  Elmer died in 2013, and Doris continued to live in their home until August, 2023, when she moved to an apartment in the Ivy Wellington facility in Laguna Woods.  Doris died in her apartment on Friday, August 30, at the age of 95.

In the early 1950's, Elmer and Doris attended many country and western shows in the Minneapolis area, and became big fans of the singer Jim Reeves.  They met him several times at shows, and Doris became the leader of his fan club in MN.  Over time Elmer and Doris became good friends with Reeves, even to the point where Jim offered her a job as his private secretary.  She turned it down because they would have to move to Nashville, and her family was in MN.  After Reeves death in a plane crash in 1964, Doris continued his fan club, and kept in touch with Reeves' widow, secretary and band members.  Doris continued making friends with other Reeves fans over the years online, and became known as a great resource for Reeves material and stories.  Doris loved to listen to his songs until her death.

Doris spent over 20 years selling items on eBay, with the handle 'TanSamBra'.  She sold many items for the Rock County Historical Society, in Luverne, MN, which helped with their fund raising.  She also loved attending estate and garage sales, always looking for items that could be purchased for resale in her eBay shop.  Over the years she made many friends through selling items, and she was very proud that she never received a negative feedback.  She continued selling on eBay until 2023, when she was 94 years old.

In her later years Doris became enamored with giraffes.  She collected giraffe items, and she managed to visit several zoos to see them up close and personal.  She loved feeding them, and sometimes sneaking in a touch to their nose, even though she was told not to.

Doris also loved watching the show 'Pitbulls and Parolees'.  There were reruns of the show on for 2 hours every afternoon, so everyone knew not to call or visit during those hours.  Sometimes there were even marathon sessions of the show on a Saturday, that would run from 8am until midnight, and Doris would sit and watch every show.

In the past few years Doris developed a passion for watching NASCAR races, and always rooted for Christopher Bell.  Her daughter introduced her to the races one summer when she visited, and since Christopher Bell was the favorite driver of her daughter he became her favorite driver as well.  She called him 'my boy Bell', and would get very excited watching him race.  After watching him win a race she called her daughter and screamed in the phone "Woo Hoo!  He won!"

Doris is survived by her son Eldon and wife Clara, of Santa Ana, CA, and her daughter Cheryl and husband Thomas Wiedmann, of Kenneth, MN.  Her passing has left a hole in their lives, and all her friends and family.

Doris was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Elmer, her son Jimmie, her brother Arthur Gullickson, and her sister Mae Gullickson.