Doris Virginia Yerkes

Doris Virginia Yerkes died Thursday January 2, 2014, of complications associated with inoperable abdominal aneurysms. She was 87 years old. Extremely healthy for the greater part of her life, Ms Yerkes had had successful surgery for the repair of a thoracic aortal aneurysm in 2011. However, during that surgery, doctors also discovered additional aneurysms that proved to be cause of her passing two years later at Chester River Hospital. Leading a high quality, productive, vibrant, and self-sufficient lifestyle was a hallmark of Doris' life, and she remained engaged and active with her family and friends up to her death. She was known for her meticulous and fashionable style, her curiosity about and love of people from all walks of life, and her strong loyalty to and support of family. Early Life Doris Yerkes was born Doris Virginia Crowding in Chestertown, MD, on June 29 1926, the daughter of Sarah Collins Hadaway-Crowding-Lane and Jacob B. Crowding. Her earliest remembrance was of her father's premature and tragic death in 1930 and its profound influence on her. This early experience was counter balanced by many positive childhood memories, especially those spent with her grandfather James Thomas Hadaway, Sheriff of Kent County. She often spoke of his many kindnesses including him taking her to the New Lyceum theater in Chestertown to see Shirley Temple movies. Doris graduated from Chestertown High School in 1943. She showed tremendous aptitude for short hand, often practicing this discipline into the wee hours of the morning until she could correctly take 120 error free words of dictation per minute. This skill would play a significant role in her landing her first jobs in both the commercial world as well as for the US Government. While growing up she worked as a pickle packer at Vita Foods and a waitress at the Betterton Hotel, serving food and drink to those journeying from Baltimore by ferry to this then bustling bay side resort. In 1946, she married Lewis A. Yerkes , a Washington College Hall of Fame athlete in football, basketball, track and baseball. Together they had two children, Lewis A. Yerkes, Jr., who died in 1979 and Pamela Yerkes Sautter of Annapolis, MD. Washington DC Along with a number of close Chestertown girlfriends, Doris joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1944. While the stringent policies of J. Edgar Hoover's organization included "no juicy fruits at your desk, no bars and no burlesque" Doris and her friends ignored these prescripts and went on to experience the music and dance clubs that were part of the social kaleidoscope that was war time Washington. A classical music fan from an early age, she expanded her musical horizons at that time to include what would become a lifelong love of jazz and big band music. She spoke of dancing with soldiers who had returned from the war in the then-famous DC clubs such as the Casino Royale. She returned to Washington, DC, in 1952 to work for the Department of Labor. She rose quickly through the ranks, working with individuals as famous as Henry Cabot Lodge and J Patrick Moynihan. She often told the story of her first meeting with John F. Kennedy, then a Senator from Massachusetts. After that meeting, she correctly predicted that this young man would become President of the US. She also became a life long JFK aficionado, reading many books and articles about him throughout her life, up to and including the most recent 2012 biography of Kennedy by Chris Matthews. Her social life in Washington was as vibrant as the people she worked for and her many friends included not only her fellow workers at the Department of Labor but also a atomic physicist from Spain, a multi-lingual PhD working at the Voice of America, a lawyer from Chicago and the heiress to the Snow fortune. Her coterie of friends reflected a rich fabric of caring and appreciation for people, independent of color, social status, or profession. One of her closet friends was a Harvard graduate from Grosse Point Farms, MI, Charles Mellish Kidner, a World War II bomber pilot who worked for the State Department and shared Doris' love of travel. Together, they journeyed to Paris, Morocco, Lisbon, London, Rome, Switzerland, and the Costa del Sol. Charles and Doris were married in 1964. Charles died in 1978. In 1957, Doris took a brief one-year hiatus from the Labor Department to work for the firm Wilson, Nuttall, Raimond Engineers of Chestertown. She often remarked that her work for this dynamic firm included some of the most interesting and challenging experiences she had in her career. Doris rose to the rank of Administrative Officer and worked on the Labor Management Policy Committee for President Kennedy. She retired from the government In 1984. Return to Chestertown Doris returned to the place of her birth in 1984 and bought her home on Pearce Way in Heather Heights. She spent her time as the matriarch of her family, often assisting those in need of the wisdom of her counsel, reading, listening to her collection of jazz and big band music, attending church services at the Christ United Methodist Church, and traveling to places like Jamaica, Nassau, and Cancun. A singular event in her retirement was her joining the Chester River Yacht and Country Club where she enjoyed her famous Dewars on the rocks with water on the side and conversations and dinner with her many friends. Warm and genuinely curious, she was often the very first person who introduced themselves to new club members. Many individuals will remember the first time they met the classy, well-dressed woman with the quick laugh and warm smile. We will miss the charm and company of this woman, a truly vibrant lady whose life was a rich tapestry of many colors. Survivors Doris is survived by her daughter, Pamela Y. Sautter and her son-in-law Paul Sautter of Annapolis; four grandchildren, Darin Lee McCauley of Annapolis; Timothy Sautter of Glen Burnie; Corey Jay Sautter of Annapolis and James E Yerkes and his wife Lisa of Chestertown; and four great-grandchildren, Trinity and Quinn McCauley and Andrew and Matthew Johnson-Yerkes Celebration of Doris Yerkes Life A memorial service will be held at Christ United Methodist Church, Chestertown at 3 p.m. on January 17, 2014. Following this service, Doris specifically requested that a Celebration of Her Life be held at the Chester River Yacht and Country Club. We will begin with a “Happy Hour” at 4 p.m. in the bar followed by a celebration in the upper Ballroom from 5 - 7 p.m. We will have a time when those touched by her life can recount stories of their experiences with her...so please come prepared to share these accounts. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Christ United Methodist Church, 401 High Street, Chestertown, MD 21620.

Doris Virginia Yerkes

June 29, 1926 - January 2, 2014