Doris Raper DuVall, 91, of Virginia Beach, died Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2017. She lived a full and active life until dementia robbed her of her last years. Doris resided at The Memory Center from August 2011 until her death.
Doris was born April 28, 1926, at home in Norfolk. She grew up in the Berkley section of Norfolk. In 1947, she met a dashing U.S. Navy aviator, Seab Edgar “Frenchie” DuVall Jr., to whom she was married for 61 years until his death in 2008. She resided in Virginia Beach from 1971 until her death.
She is survived by her only child, Randolph C. DuVall, and his wife, Leslie, of Virginia Beach, Va.; accomplished granddaughters, Stephanie DuVall of Ashburn, Va., and Jacquelyn DuVall of Raleigh, N.C.; and her younger brothers, Paul W. Raper and Robert “Willie” Raper and his children.
Doris and Frenchie enjoyed a full life together. They loved to entertain and dine out. They enjoyed traveling. For more than 47 years, Doris volunteered at Norfolk General Hospital every Monday as what was once known as a “pink lady” until that title was no longer politically correct.
She was active in many roles at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church for nearly 40 years, until relocating to Old Donation Episcopal Church, which was nearer home, and where she will be inurned. A devoted grandmother, she was very actively involved in the lives of her granddaughters when they were young. Although she did not wear her faith on her sleeve, she was a faithful and devout Christian woman her entire life, having grown up in the Baptist church in Berkley.
Doris never met a stranger. She loved to converse with everyone she encountered. That trait has been handed down in the Raper family for years. She had it in spades. Her presence could light up a room with humor and good cheer. She reveled in her lifelong role as a mother. No man ever had a more attentive and loving mother. It was Doris who instilled the love of reading and service in her only child.
The family deeply appreciates the wonderful care afforded to Doris by the staff at The Memory Center. She was always treated with respect and dignity by her caregivers. She returned that love with a perpetual smile.
A memorial celebration of life and resurrection will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, at First Presbyterian Church, 300 36th St., Virginia Beach, with the Rev. Albert Butzer III officiating. A reception will follow at the church.
Share online condolences with the family at hollomon-brown.com.
