Doris R. Kling

Doris Ruth Kling, 90, formerly of Peoria, IL, Tucson, AZ, and finally of Indianapolis, IN, passed away peacefully September 12, 2024. She was born in Chicago, IL, November 25, 1933, to parents who immigrated after finishing medical school in Czechoslovakia. The family was complete with the addition of her younger sister, Herta, and the youngest child, Gustav, in the following three years. Doris’s mother, Margarete, stayed home with the family and was the inspiration for Doris’s talents in the realms of cooking, baking, sewing, & knitting. Her specialty remained the amazing German Christmas cookies which she shared annually with anxiously awaiting family, friends, and colleagues. As a youngster, her maturity and poise were put to good use as she was expected to properly answer phone calls from her father’s medical patients in need of a home visit. Colorado was the summertime family destination to give her father relief from Midwest allergies. The love of the Rocky Mountains led to a lifetime of repeated visits and enjoyment of the hiking, horseback riding, fishing, and family time with friends that it afforded. Doris graduated Valedictorian from St. Scholastica Academy in Chicago at age 16 and proceeded to attend University of Wisconsin – Madison where she proudly pledged Chi Omega Sorority in 1951. It was there she met the love of her life, Gary Henry Kling, and obtained her BS in Medical Technology. Upon graduation, they married June 18, 1955, and moved to Peoria, IL to pursue their chosen careers, Gary with LeTourneau-Westinghouse as an engineer and Doris as a staff medical technologist at St. Francis Hospital. Their family expanded in 1956 with the birth of Lisa Anne and the need for more space became a reality. They purchased their first home in East Peoria where their younger daughter, Lauren Elizabeth, was subsequently born in 1958. Doris and Gary taught their family the love of travel as they visited all 50 states, many countries, and took over 20 cruises worldwide. Gary eventually accepted a position at Caterpillar Tractor Company where he remained until retirement. In 1968, they built a larger family home in Peoria and lived there until retiring to Tucson. In 1970, Doris was recruited by the new Illinois Central College (ICC) to develop the Medical Laboratory Technician Program (MLT) to be offered by the college. Her continued desire for knowledge led her to obtain her MS and PhD. Her hard work and dedication throughout her 24-year tenure at ICC brought steady advancement from Supervisor of the MLT program through the ranks to finally being established as Dean of Career Education. She retired from ICC in 1994, and later in December of 1994, assumed the position of Executive Director, Central Illinois Higher Education Consortium at Bradley University until she re-retired in June 1999. Following retirement, Gary and Doris were drawn to Tucson after visiting Doris’s sister who had a home there. As a result, they sold their home in Peoria and moved to SaddleBrooke, a lovely active adult living community north of Tucson, where they enjoyed over a decade of sunshine and numerous activities with friends and family. In 2013, wanting to be closer to their daughters, Gary and Doris moved to Hoosier Village Retirement Community in Indianapolis, IN. The close friendships they formed within this community provided much comfort and love to Doris after unexpectedly losing Gary in 2015. Doris spent the next nine years enjoying many wonderful activities with her newfound friends. She earned a reputation of being a champion bridge player, a skill she honed in college. Doris especially loved traveling with the Village Voyagers. Doris’s daughters would like to thank the Hoosier Village nursing staff, Chris Davis and the AseraCare hospice staff, and all the Hoosier Village staff and residents for the wonderful care, love, and support shown to Doris and family over the years.

Doris is survived by her daughters Lisa (Don) Whetstone and Lauren (the late George) Kovac; grandchildren Briana (Harry) Clark, Brendan (Debbie) Kovac, Kristin (Jordan) Kessler, and Alyssa Whetstone; great-grandchildren Peyton, Logan, and Teagan Kessler.

A Memorial Service is pending later in the fall.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: The Gary H. Kling and Doris R. Kling Engineering and Health Occupations Scholarship, Illinois Central College Foundation, One College Drive, East Peoria, IL 61635.