Doris M. Gafner, of Greenfield, passed away peacefully on Monday, August 31, 2026 at the Cottages at Cedar Run in West Bend. She was 88 years old.
Doris was born May 20, 1938 in Indianapolis, daughter of Robert and Ludmilla (Zore) Deal. She attended school in Indianapolis, and graduated from St. Mary’s Academy in 1956.
While living in Indiana, Doris worked at Eli Lilly Pharmaceutical Company. She later worked at Walmart for over 20 years.
On February 23, 1963, Doris was united in marriage with the love of her life, Fred Gafner, in Indianapolis. They shared 59 years together and raised 3 children before his passing in 2022.
An avid racing fan, Doris loved attending spring car races and the Indy 500 with Fred and their family. She also enjoyed doing cross stitch, as well as jigsaw and word puzzles.
Doris is survived by her children: Eric (Mari) Gafner of San Francisco and Heather (Scott) Hoogester of Batavia. She is further survived by her grandchildren who were her pride and joy: Nathan (Anna) Pompe, Kenzie (Cole) Held, Tyler Hoogester (Blaire), Darby (Brandon) Mueller and Sydney Shanaberger (Shannon McLoon); great-grandchildren Holly, Reese, and baby Held on the way; sister Victoria (Rodney) Farmer; sister-in-law Shirley Deal; brother Tom (Cathy) Deal; other relatives and friends.
Doris is preceded in death by her husband Fred, their daughter Holly Shanaberger and brothers Robert (Jan) Deal and Ronald Deal.
Funeral Services to celebrate Doris’s life will be held at 1:00PM on Friday, September 11, 2026 at Wenig Funeral Home, 108 Center Ave in Oostburg. The family will receive visitors at the funeral home on Friday from 11:00AM-1:00PM.
In her honor, guests are encouraged to wear clothing representing Doris’s favorite things – Indiana and the color red.
All are welcome to join a livestream of the service on Doris’s obituary page at www.wenigfh.com .
She will be laid to rest at Washington County Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested in Doris’s name for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association (donations made directly to Heather Hoogester).
The family would like to thank the staffs of the Cottages at Cedar Run in West Bend and Common Heart Health and Hospice for their compassionate and loving care of Doris and her family.
Wenig Funeral Home – Oostburg (920-564-2771) is assisting the family with arrangements. Please visit www.wenigfh.com for more information and online condolences.
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