Doris J. (French) Willhauck, born December 14, 1934, in Villa Ridge, Illinois, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 8, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.

She was the daughter of the late Archie and Ruth (Graham) French and a graduate of Mounds High School. Doris later completed Nursing School at Missouri Baptist in St. Louis, beginning a lifelong career as a Registered Nurse. Once she graduated from Nursing School she worked at Missouri Baptist Hospital achieving the position of Head Nurse. She met and married her husband, William (Billy) J. Willhauck, in St. Louis, MO. Once married, they moved to Anchorage, Alaska where she worked at the Alaska Native Hospital and Providence Hospital. She took a break from her career to stay home with her daughter and son. When they were older, she went back to work in the hospital working in the Operating Room (OR). After several years, she took a break from hospital work and was the lead nurse at The Hope Cottage for Special Needs Children. She particularly liked working there and just loved the children in her care. She missed working in the OR, especially on craniotomies and open-heart surgeries, which were her specialties, sometimes circulating for over 8 hours in a single surgery. She went back to Humana Hospital, where she continued working in the OR until she moved back to Missouri when her father became terminally ill. She worked in the OR at Cape Girardeau, MO Hospital (during that time). Later, she and Billy moved to Potosi, MO to fulfill their dream of having a log home in the woods. She finished her extensive nursing career at Potosi General Hospital where she mainly worked as a floor nurse and shift supervisor, until retirement. She dedicated her life to caring for others with compassion, patience, and steady kindness, earning the respect of both colleagues, Doctors and patients.

Doris was an avid gardener. Having learned berry picking and other foraging techniques in Alaska, she and Billy grew a lot of their own food, canning their own fruits and vegetables each year. Everyone's particular favorite were her Alaskan Sourdough Pancakes with homemade melted currant jelly for syrup. She was quite a cook and baker with an extensive collection of cookbooks, as well as many antiques. She also loved reading novels, had a large collection of books and enjoyed researching her family genealogy. She was an avid Cardinals Baseball Fan, keeping their scores in a score book during each game. Among Doris’s other talents and passions, were quilting and embroidery. She loved gardening, house plants and birds. At her home in Potosi, she had 12+ hummingbird feeders with over 30+ hummers on her porch at any given time and they would come right up to her. There was a Phoebe Bird nest above the back door and she even fought a snake to protect them. She had a soft spot for animals. Any animal she found abandon or hurt; she cared for with them often becoming beloved family pets.

In addition to being the beloved wife of the late William J. Willhauck, Doris was a devoted mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, and friend who treasured her family above all else. She is survived by her two children, their spouses, her grandchildren, their spouses, her great grandchildren and one sister. The oldest of five, she was predeceased by two brothers and one sister.

Doris will be remembered for her warmth, quiet strength, and lifelong dedication to caring for others. Her legacy of love and service will live on through her family and all who knew her.

Services will be held privately. She will be interred with her husband at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri. Local arrangements have been entrusted to Moore Funeral Home, Potosi, Missouri

In lieu flowers contributions, in her memory, may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, https://Alzheimer's Association or Samaritan’s Purse https://samaritanspurse.org.