Doris V Doerksen

Doris Viola Leaf was born at Edgewater Hospital, in 1931, and lived her entire life in the Edgewater community of Chicago.

Doris was born to Swedish immigrant parents, Ernst and Viola Leaf, who met at Edgewater Baptist Church. She liked to say that she came to EBC in the womb! But that statement reveals a deep truth about Doris: her unwavering love of Jesus Christ. Her parents were both active members of Edgewater Baptist and that meant Doris was too.

She attended Pierce Elementary and Senn High School. After graduation, Doris worked as a secretary at Moody Bible Institute. At the age of 22, Doris left Chicago for a year of ministry in Colorado. It was there, at a Youth for Christ rally, that she met a strapping young Mennonite man from Kansas—Marvin Doerksen. After seeing each other for three months, Marvin proposed. They returned to Chicago and were married in 1954.

Marvin became a carpenter and Doris a homemaker. They had three sons: Roy, Ronald, and Kevin.

Family and church life were the focal points for the family. Doris was involved in women’s ministry, choir, drama and her own musical outreach with Marvin. Their musical outreach had them ministering in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. To the very end, music defined both their lives. Doris spent Marvin’s last day on earth singing hymns with him and Tammy and Kevin did the same for Doris.

Doris longed for Heaven and she is now with her Savior Jesus Christ whom she loved and served faithfully.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Marvin Doerksen, and two daughters-in-law, Marsha (Roy) Doerksen and Carol (Ron) Doerksen. She is survived by her three children, Roy, Ron, and Kevin (Tammy) Doerksen; seven grandchildren, Frank (Ashley) Doerksen, Rebekah (Peter) Kang, Bryan Doerksen, Josh Doerksen, Lauren (Victor) Cruz, Elianna Doerksen, and Micah Doerksen; and four great-grandchildren, Evelyn, Stella and Josie Doerksen and Hazel Kang.

A celebration service of Doris’s life at will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at 2:00p.m. at Edgewater Baptist Church, 1401 W Hollywood, Chicago, IL. A Swedish Fika (coffee time) repast will follow. The service will be livestreamed on the church’s website, www.edgebapt.com.

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