Doris Allison

What can we say about Doris Allison? Not this page, nor the next, nor a thousand could capture all that she was and all that she meant to those who love her. In her own words, she hoped to be remembered as a kind and loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who always strived to do the best she could to help make her family happy. Without hesitation, Doris, you are this and more.

Doris Lee Kessel Allison passed away peacefully at home in the arms of her loving husband D. Michael Allison, on June 13th, 2026, at the age of 85 in Gainesville, Florida.

Doris was born on January 27th, 1941, in Fisher, West Virginia, to Cora Lee (Fitzwater) Kessel and Floyd Kessel. As the youngest of four children and the apple of her father’s eye, she was fiercely independent. She went to grade school in a one-room schoolhouse near the family farm and high school in Moorefield, West Virginia. She was exceptionally close with her older sister Muriel Layton and two older brothers, Gene Kessel and Reverend Wayne Kessel. She also spent many days of her early childhood with her Aunt Delphia Lynne Kessel (Aunt Dee) whose home was just down the road from Doris’s childhood home. Aunt Dee’s home held a special place in her heart as a place where she could always find a hug and enjoy fresh pumpkin pies grown from Aunt Dee’s own garden. Into her adulthood, Doris remained close to Aunt Dee, bringing her children and grandchildren to her Aunt Dee’s home in West Virginia to share in the love and homegrown treats.

In addition to her girlhood home in West Virginia, she spent 24 years of her adulthood in Herndon (Fox Mill), Virginia; 13 years in Maurertown, Virginia, and finally settled into retirement in Gainesville (Sable Chase), Florida.

She was a career civil servant, working in multiple positions for the United States Postal Service, ultimately contributing most significantly in the accounting division. The office parties were legendary, celebrating life milestones together, holidays, and retirements. It was at work where she met the love of her life on the mail room floor. On New Year's Eve 1976, she invited Mike to her home to celebrate the new year, and they never parted after that, marrying May 1st, 1977. That meeting was the beginning of a true love story, weathering the ups and downs of life together across a 49-year marriage.

Following her retirement from the USPS, she worked for Bank of America for 12 years in Woodstock, Virginia, as a bank teller. She shared a story with her grandchildren about the wealthiest account holder, highlighting that the person didn’t own the biggest house or drive the fanciest car. In fact, they lived quite a modest lifestyle. We learned from this story that nobody needs to have the biggest or fanciest things to be happy. Happiness comes from our connections to the people who matter most.

During her lifetime, Doris enjoyed traveling. She explored California from Los Angeles to San Francisco and visited the Dominican Republic. She shared her love of the beach with her husband, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. There were at least thirty annual summer vacations at the Outer Banks in North Carolina where she and Mike enjoyed long walks on the beach in the late afternoon. The tradition of annual beach vacations continued throughout her life, visiting beaches all over Florida and South Carolina, spending time with her great-grandchildren, collecting shells, working on puzzles, and spotting dolphins in the waves.

Her holiday parties were anticipated every year, particularly her Christmas parties. Her home was beautifully decorated. Gifts were wrapped with such skill that they looked professionally done with fanciful bows, ribbons, and papers. Spreads of food that spanned multiple tables with hors d’oeuvres, traditional dinners, sides, and sumptuous desserts. When she decided she wanted to perfect her cheesecake recipe, the family enjoyed months of homemade cheesecake before it finally made it to the holiday spread. This is a perfect example of her character, her continuous growth in her talents, and how much joy and love she brought to the lives of those around her.

Everyone who came to her home was welcomed like family. Her family, friends, and loved ones remember Doris not only for what she gave to those she cared about but also who she was: a woman who supported other women, a lover of cats, a
talented pianist and knitter, an excellent cook and baker, a nurturer of plants and wild animals, a person who didn’t suffer fools, and a person who could accept her loved ones as they are in their imperfections and strengths. She had a radiant smile and warm comforting hugs which wrapped around her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her legacy lives on in the stories she told, the traditions she created, the love she shared, and the countless lives she enriched.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Cora Lee Kessel and Floyd Kessel; two siblings, Muriel Layton and Reverend Wayne Kessel; and grandson Zachary Williams.

She is survived by her loving and devoted husband D. Michael Allison; brother, Gene Kessel; her three children, Roger Bensenhaver, Karen Perry (Randy), and Nancy Williams; her stepson, David Allison; seven grandchildren, Sarah Lynne, Jonathan Bensenhaver, Elyse Barrett, Jessica Williams, Emily Williams, Charlene Allison and Alexander Allison; and five great-grandchildren Isaiah Chadwell, Laszlo Landsman, Hector Landsman, Merrick Masyn, and Felix Masyn, and many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and dear friends who will forever cherish her memory.
In place of flowers, the family requests that those wishing to honor her memory simply perform an act of kindness, share a meal with family, and tell those close to you that you love them.

The family encourages friends and loved ones to share their favorite memories of Doris as each story helps preserve the remarkable legacy she leaves behind.