Doris Margaret Tassaro of Richmond, IN passed away peacefully at the age of 92 on Sunday, September 22, with her children by her side, after five years of exceptional care at Friends Fellowship Community.
Doris was born January 16, 1927, to Peter and Jean (Beysel) Joe in Queens, New York. She grew up in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, where she attended Saint Cecilia High School. One of her favorite memories from high school was her chemistry teacher, Vince Lombardi, who went on to become the head coach of the Green Bay Packers.
Upon graduation Doris attended Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School and took a position with McGraw Hill in New York City. Doris met the love of her life on a blind date and in 1951 married Alfred (Al) who was a lifetime employee of Alcoa and together made homes in Montvale, NJ, New Kensington, PA, and Lafayette, IN, finally settling in Richmond in 1973.
Doris enjoyed giving back to the community by volunteering with Special Olympics, Girl Scouts and at the Boys & Girls Club. Doris was very active at her church, St. Mary’s, and was a long-time member of Forest Hills Country Club.
Doris’s pride and joy were her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She delighted in their accomplishments, from births and baptisms to graduations, weddings and anniversaries, and all the milestones in between.
For 25 years, the family took annual summer vacations together to Ocean City, NJ, where Doris and the rest of her clan enjoyed each other’s company reading on the beach, riding the waves, and laughing over long family dinners (and cocktails!). In addition to spending time with her family, Doris enjoyed knitting blankets and hats for Birthright, sewing for her grandkids, chardonnay, Jumbles, Purdue athletics, and caring for her daughter Maggie. Doris will be remembered for her quick and feisty wit.
Doris Tassaro is survived by her children, Steve (Betsy) Tassaro of Pittsburgh, PA; Mary (Bob) Tassaro Brown of Philadelphia, PA; Mark (Alicia) Tassaro of Munster, IN; and Maggie Tassaro of Richmond, her eight grandchildren, Elizabeth (Nelson) Tassaro Burbano, Margaret (Eric) Tassaro Tans, Stefanie Tassaro, Meredith Brown, Peter Brown, Carolyn Brown, Christopher Tassaro, and Jennifer Tassaro, and her four great grandchildren, Isabella and Mateo Burbano and Melle and Jay Tassaro Tans.
Funeral Mass will be private. Internment will be with her husband Al at the George Washington Memorial Park, Paramus, New Jersey.
Donations in her memory can made to Special Olympics of Wayne County, PO Box 42, Webster, IN 47392.