Doris Mary Castle

Doris Mary Mann Castle (Dori), 78 of Sandpoint Idaho left this world on July 2, 2020 bound for heaven.  She always said that life is like a train ride and is more about the journey than the destination.

Her life was one of adventure and hard work before the onset of ALS. Dori was born to Furman and Mary Mann, and as a child in the 1940’s she lived on and explored a small coastal Florida island named Pass-a-Grille Beach where she spent much of her time on the beach and in the water. She met her future husband Alan while they both were attending Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. They married in Florida in November of 1964. On many a 4x4 expedition out of Denver (1966-1977) Dori and Alan explored the high altitude mountains of Colorado bumping along in a 1968 Land Rover filled with camping gear, 3 children and 2 Springer Spaniels. Next she and Alan switched gears moving to a small rural farm in southwest Missouri (1978-1984) where she greatly expanded on her home economics degree as she and Alan led the family into self-sufficiency via gardening, beekeeping, food storage, and animal husbandry (raising chickens and cattle).  Finally, on the last leg of her earthly adventure she landed in Sandpoint Idaho (1985-2020) where she and Alan built the log home she passed from into her next great adventure in heaven with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

No matter what state Alan and Dori lived in, they not only spent hours in the yard and large garden areas, but also “tidying the woods”. Dori’s background as a master gardener helped her in perfecting every placement of her plants and flowers. She especially loved roses and planted a rosebush in honor of many family members. Dori loved to sew and was an excellent seamstress. She made many of her children’s clothing over the years, and especially enjoyed making pillows, curtains and custom dolls. Her attention to detail was precise and her eye for coordinating colors and patterns was appreciated by many. Their home is filled with many items that she lovingly created for friends and family throughout the years. Dori’s home economic degree gave her a solid base on which she she learned and practiced many skills. She loved canning and spent many happy hours in the kitchen with her grandchildren making jellies and jams. She enjoyed teaching others and firmly believed in passing on her knowledge to younger generations.

Dori and Alan visited and fell in love with the Pacific Northwest during a trip to Canada. For more than 30 years Sandpoint has been their home, but Dori’s heart will always remain in Florida. She is survived by her husband Alan, her children Danial Castle (wife Catherine), David Castle, and Jill Inman (husband Chad), and grandchildren Slade Castle, Jacob Wuthrich, Wynd Castle, Leifur Castle, Madeline Wuthrich, Milena Castle, Canyon Castle, Evan Wuthrich, Ceri Castle and Saxon Castle.