Doris Lucille Caster (Eliason)

Doris Lucille (Eliason) Caster of Independence, MO passed away on February 4, 2016, 2 days after her 95th birthday. Services will be at 11 am, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 at Carson-Speaks Chapel, 1501 W. Lexington. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in Mound Grove Cemetery. Doris was a long time member of the Stone Church Congregation of the Community of Christ Church. Doris was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Robert and her husband of 59 ½ years, George Fred Caster. She is survived by many nieces and nephews. Doris was the second child of Ernest Eliason and Julia Slover. Ernest was the eldest son of hard‐working Swedish dairy farmers supporting the mining industry in the Deer Lodge valley of Montana. His aunt sent him on the train to Graceland in Lamoni, Iowa where he met his future wife. Ernest was a gentleman; his new wife refined and artistic. Doris became the recipient of both traits. During the depression, Ernest was forced to move the family from Deer Lodge to Great Falls. Like many others in the Great Depression, they struggled to make ends meet. But even then, Doris shined. She was elected both junior and senior class president of Great Falls High School. During her final year, her mother's rheumatic fever got much worse, and the family moved to Independence, Missouri where Julia could receive additional care with her sisters. Doris was accepted to the nursing program at the Independence Sanitarium where she spent the next two and a half years. Her best friend Pearl had a boyfriend named Gene Davies. The two of them set Doris up on a blind date with Fred Caster in 1940. Eventually, both couples were married and both husbands shipped off to the war in Europe. It was tough; for 2 years they never knew whether their husbands were in harm's way. But they survived and were reunited after the war. Doris was a practicing nurse by this time and applied for Head Nurse at Hallmark Cards. And again, she shined. She came to the notice of J C Hall and they became great friends. Fred began working there as well, as did some of their nephews and nieces and a brother‐in‐law. Doris and Fred were never able to have their own family, so their family became everyone they met. They were a wonderful couple, funny, kind and gracious. Doris was the first to retire. She was a frustrated musician, but her painting skills grew and flourished. Her paintings followed her life, depicting travels to Europe with Fred's Armored Division, and their frequent trips back to Montana. After Fred passed in 2002, she continued to live and grow her circle of friends. In 2014, she was awarded the Evelyn Berryman Barritt Award for Creativity for her contribution to art as alumni of Graceland University’s School of Nursing. She was admired for her humility and grace. She was always kind, always present, always there to greet you with a smile and a gentle hand. She inspired us, and we did our best to love her as much as she loved us. The family acknowledges the saints and angels at The Groves where Doris resided the past few years. In lieu of flowers, contributions are suggested to Graceland University School of Nursing, 1401 Truman Rd., Independence, MO 64050. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.speakschapel.com (Arrangements: Carson-Speaks Chapel (816) 252-7900)