Doris J Visser

Doris J. Visser
A funeral service will be held on May 2, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church
in Long Prairie, for Doris Visser, 91 of Long Prairie who passed away peacefully at the
Long Prairie Nursing Home on Wednesday April 20, 2022. Visitation will be one hour
prior to the funeral service at the church. The Williams Dingmann Family Funeral
Home, Stein Chapel have been entrusted with arrangements.
Doris was born July 3, 1930 to Kenneth and Hazel (Goodman) Pentz on the family farm
3 miles west of Long Prairie. She began her education at the Clotho Country School and
later graduated from Long Prairie High School in 1948. From there Doris went on to
complete her nursing degree at St. Barnabas School of Nursing in Minneapolis. On July
5, 1951 she married John Visser at Trinity Lutheran Church in Long Prairie and then
joined him at Fort Rucker, Alabama until his discharge in 1953. Over the years Doris
served as a respected RN in Enterprise, AL, Minneapolis, MN and from 1956-1976 at
the Long Prairie Memorial Hospital.
Doris was always a farm girl at heart with one of her earliest memories being swinging
in her Daddy's barn to the rhythm of the gas milking machine and singing Red River
Valley. She seldom had a time in her life that she didn't have a horse to care for
beginning with her first pony "Bubbles". In later years she enjoyed trail rides and being
involved in local parades with the "Prairie Dusters". Another passion on the farm for
Doris was her prize winning flock of Suffolk Sheep. Her numerous flower gardens kept
her outdoors and active even after she turned 90.
Doris was a traveler all her life beginning with her family trip to Oregon in their
Model T pickup in 1935. She enjoyed many camping trips around the country while her
children were growing up and then began traveling with various touring groups
throughout the US and abroad. For many years Doris and John spent a month each
winter on South Padre Island, Texas and after John's passing she began making an
annual trip with her daughters to Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas where they enjoyed
spending time at her son's family lake home.
Doris saw value in saving anything old. She was advocate for saving old buildings and
always interested in the history of them. For many years she was an active member of
the Historical Society and did her part in keeping Todd County true to its past. She was
also very interested in family history and was actively updating the genealogy of the the
Pentz and Visser families for many years. After her retirement from nursing Doris
became interested in dealing in antiques and was involved with several area antique
stores her favorites being the General Store in West Union and Antiques Osakis.
Doris is survived by her children, Debbie (Bruce) Schultz of Aitkin, Connie (David)
Olson of Long Prairie, Tom (Linda) Visser of Frisco, TX and Barb (Bill) Gabler of
St. Cloud; three grandchildren, Jessi (Craig Perlberg) Schultz, Chris (Chrissy) Schultz
and Alex (Hannah) Visser; two great grandchildren, Owen and Max Schultz.
She was preceded in death by her husband John; parents Ken and Hazel; brothers Neil
and Myron Pentz; sisters Edith Pryor, Ella Mae Tufts and Helen Felt.