Doris Powell was one of my best friends throughout junior high and high school. She was pretty, smart, and soft-spoken, but underneath she had such an inner strength. She went through polio, the kind that puts you in an iron lung for a long time. The doctors didn't think she would make it, but that strong will to live came through and she made it. She was such a wonderful friend and when she married Joe Smiley and moved to Newton, Kansas, I missed her so much. We occasionally talked by phone and corresponded at Christmas, and her cards were always filled with news about her son, Scott, who is now a doctor practicing in Emporia, Kan. She was so proud of him!
I didn't see her again until she surprised me by attending our 20th class reunion. I remember getting into my car, driving down 32nd as we had done so many times before, and talking and talking until we were hoarse. It was if we picked right back up where we left off after all those years! She took time to visit my Mom, who always loved Doris, and we all had such a wonderful time.
I lost my Mom in 2009, and a few months ago, I found out Doris died of cancer on May 8, 2010. A good person lost too soon and a person who will always have a very special place in my heart.
Penny Elliott (Anderson)
Doris Powell was one of my best friends throughout junior high and high school. She was pretty, smart, and soft-spoken, but underneath she had such an inner strength. She went through polio, the kind that puts you in an iron lung for a long time. The doctors didn't think she would make it, but that strong will to live came through and she made it. She was such a wonderful friend and when she married Joe Smiley and moved to Newton, Kansas, I missed her so much. We occasionally talked by phone and corresponded at Christmas, and her cards were always filled with news about her son, Scott, who is now a doctor practicing in Emporia, Kan. She was so proud of him!
I didn't see her again until she surprised me by attending our 20th class reunion. I remember getting into my car, driving down 32nd as we had done so many times before, and talking and talking until we were hoarse. It was if we picked right back up where we left off after all those years! She took time to visit my Mom, who always loved Doris, and we all had such a wonderful time.
I lost my Mom in 2009, and a few months ago, I found out Doris died of cancer on May 8, 2010. A good person lost too soon and a person who will always have a very special place in my heart.