Mrs. Doris E. Muir

Obituary

Guest Book

Doris Muir Obituary

Name: Service for Mrs. Doris E. Muir
Start: 2016-04-16T14:00:00.000Z
End: 2016-04-16T17:00:00.000Z
Location: Lincoln Memorial Park

Published by Legacy Remembers on Dec. 18, 2015.

A former draftswoman, fashion model, and 1943 Rose Princess from Pasadena, California, Doris Ellen (Nichols) Muir was born in Soldier, Kansas on September 21, 1923. She married Robert James Muir upon his return from World War II and together, they raised Marilee (Muir) Campbell of Sydney, Australia, Jan (Muir) Cope of Husum, WA and Scott Muir of Portland, OR. Marrying into the Muir family meant a lifetime of adventure and more than being a good sport about it, she was the instigator of many of their backpack trips through the Sierra, Cascade, and Wallowa Mountains. Doris and Bob also travelled to over 30 countries and made 12 transcontinental USA road trips. Doris will be remembered by her family and many friends as a warm and caring person who regularly opened her doors to travelers and friends of their children who needed a pick-up from the airport or a place to stay (which often included a batch of fresh-baked cookies)! And they loved showing off their home state of Oregon through a series of what came to be known as "Muirs' Tours." Her artistic talents continued throughout her life in the mediums of sewing (she made most of her own clothes, school clothes for her children, banners for her church, and even tents and outdoor clothing for the family), stitchery (many beautiful and intricate designs), and knitting (over 120 Christmas stockings still grace the mantels of her friends, relatives, and children of their children)! Also, friends and family all received handmade Christmas cards every year, and each with a handwritten note, catching them up on the year's activities. As the family chronicler, Doris, organized her pictures into well over 100 photo albums, capturing many of the hallmark moments of our lives. Gary Larson must have had her in mind when he depicted, in a Far Side cartoon, a pack of cheetahs about to devour an antelope. One of them is standing with a camera and another is looking up at her asking (and I quote), "'For crying out loud, Doris. ... You gotta drag that thing out every time we get together?" But like the exasperated cheetah, those of us who complained loudest were also the most eager to see and enjoy her shots when the film was developed! Doris was a Girl Scout Leader, who kept in touch with members of her troop well into their adult lives. She was truly a friend for life to just about everyone she met. Sadly, she lost her very best friend, Bob, in May this year after almost 70 years of marriage and happiness together. One of our favorite quotes from Doris came at Bob's funeral when she asserted, "We're still sweethearts." In addition to her children and their spouses Tom Cope and Jamie Reiser, Doris is survived by grandchildren Amber and Megan Campbell of Sydney, Australia; Parker and Carson Muir of Montreal, Canada and Chicago, IL; and Tyler Cope of Mountain View, California. A Memorial Service and celebration of her life will be held at 2:00 PM on April 16, 2016 at Lincoln Memorial Park (11801 SE Mt. Scott Blvd., Portland, OR 97086). Contributions in her name are welcome at the Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, or Girl Scouts of America.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Sign Doris Muir's Guest Book

Not sure what to say?

1 Entry

Steve Harloff

February 14, 2016

I think that much in my life would have been different if I had not met Doris Muir.

I met Jan during a West Coast solo travel experience in my mid 20's (I had come to Eugene to visit the U of O as a choice for graduate school); Jan's cordiality to a wandering Midwesterner was greatly appreciated, but it was an even more wonderful surprise to be treated so graciously by her parents at their house in Parkrose. I was to learn that friendliness to visiting travelers was a trademark quality of both Bob and Doris Muir.

These folks were ambassadors of hospitality, and they had a lovely world here in Oregon, and were willing to show it to me!

Over the next few years, they genuinely brought me into their world.I was so at ease! I felt like I had found my second parents. I loved Doris; she seemed to evoke the best of Oregon women: she was none too crazy about spending too much time in the kitchen, but she was ready to be out hiking at Mt. Hood at a moment's notice. There always seemed to be somebody coming through the Muir residence to visit, perhaps from Australia or maybe one of us outdoor school migrants from Ohio, Illinois or Indiana.

I was also lucky enough to know Doris' mom, another vibrant and sweet soul, who so impressed me with her frontier cabin experience on Whidbey Island. Like Doris, she showed no pretense, but instead exuded a sense of wanting to live happily and heartilyand to avoid the negative junk in life.

So I am always aware that Doris Muir changed my lifein fact, many of us have learned from Doris how Western hospitality really works. Doris taught me to be generous and friendly, to make people feel goodthat's what's important! The best lesson I could impart to my two kids is to take on that attitude of hospitality: Be nice to people, show them the lovely state we live in, and keep those people as friends for a lifetime.

Steve Harloff
Yamhill, Oregon
January 2016