Doris Lorraine Mosier Sanders, the eldest daughter of Frank and Marie Mosier, was born on November 14, 1918, at the old Mosier Ranch on Wellsford Road situated east of Empire. She celebrated her 100th birthday in November 2018 with a family party. Doris attended Empire Union schools, graduated from Modesto High, spent two years at Modesto Junior College, then graduated in 1941 with a teaching credential from San Jose State. She began her teaching career in Hickman, California.
Doris' love of music began in the 4thgrade with private violin lessons. Prof Mancini was her mentor. When she was a high school sophomore she joined the Modesto Symphony and in 1937 was a student soloist. She also gave private violin lessons as soon as she could drive and continued to provide lessons after classes while she attended San Jose State.
In 1942, during WWII, the 47thGeneral Hospital arrived in Modesto to train at the Hammond General Hospital before going overseas as a Field Hospital. Doris met her future husband, Wyman Sanders, Sr. at a USO dance while he was training there. They married in July, 1943. He shipped out overseas with the Field Hospital and served in New Guinea for two years. At the end of the war, Doris and Wyman moved to his home state of Mississippi. Four of their five children were born there; the fifth child was born in Texas. While in Mississippi, Doris joined the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, and when they moved to Texas, she joined the Austin Symphony Orchestra. She reveled in the Texas group with concerts every two weeks once the season began and the children's concert once a month.
When Doris returned from Texas, she renewed her teaching career. She taught instrumental music and chorus, in addition to other subjects at Empire and Ceres schools, then in Modesto at El Vista and Rose Avenue. She retired from teaching in 1979.
Doris also rejoined the Modesto Symphony and after about a year, she was promoted to Assistant Concert Master, a position she held for ten years during the 1960s. Eventually, Doris resigned due to health, later returning to play again with the Modesto group. Then she joined the Stanislaus State Symphony for about fifteen years, even touring Japan with them. After retiring, Doris organized and played in two string quartets with other women from the symphony. Additionally, for seven summers she also played in conductor training orchestras in Asilomar, California and Colorado. These summer programs were designed to improve the orchestra conductors' skills. Music is in the family as Doris' children all studied music when in college and many of her also play instruments.
Doris loved to travel with her husband, oftentimes in their motor home. In the United States, they traveled to all fifty states and her world travels included Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, Morocco, Spain, Italy, Greece, Panama Canal, Japan, Canada, and Russia.
A widow since 1989, she is survived by her five children: Wyman Sanders, Jr., Linda Sanders McCarver, Nancy Sanders Ayala, Richard Craig Sanders, and Carolyn Sanders McGuire; thirteen grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren, and a sister, Beverly Motter of Capitola.
Visitation and graveside services will be at Lakewood Memorial Park in Hughson, CA on Wed. Feb. 13, 2019, 9:00 am visitation, 10:00 services, 12:00 graveside
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