Doris Adelle (Johnson) Blomquist passed away August 2, 2024 at Cedarhurst Senior Living in Salina, KS. She was born on March 27, 1930, to Edgar and Ruby (Peterson) Johnson of rural Assaria. She attended grades 1-8 at Star School, walking or riding ponies with her siblings, Carolyn and Eldon, to the one-room schoolhouse located a mile south of their childhood home. She graduated as valedictorian from Assaria High School in 1948. She attended Kansas Wesleyan for 2 years, and then taught for 2 years at Smolan grade school. On October 12, 1952, she married her high school sweetheart, Oscar Blomquist.
Early in their marriage, Oscar was drafted into the army during the Korean conflict. He was assigned to the Counter Intelligence Corps, and they lived in both Baltimore, MD, and Independence, MO, while he served his country. Doris worked at Butler Manufacturing in Kansas City during their time there. They returned to the Assaria community following his military service, and began a diversified farming and livestock operation. Shortly after their return, the farm adjacent to her childhood home became available for them to rent and later buy. They moved onto that place, and this is where Doris would live the next 68 years of her life.
The center of Doris’ life was her faith and her family. Life was not always easy; she and Oscar lost their second child as an infant, Oscar passed away suddenly in 1973 at age 42, and son Kevin passed away in 2004 at age 40. Despite these heartbreaking losses, she maintained an unwavering faith in Christ and looked forward with a strong, positive, optimistic spirit. She was a lifelong, active member of Assaria Lutheran Church and served as church secretary for many years until her retirement in 1997. She participated in and often served in leadership roles for Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Mary Group, XYZ, Quilting, Sunday School teaching, church kitchen serving, 4-H and “Mothers Club”. If you worked alongside Doris on a committee or a project, you could count on her to be hardworking, willing, capable, cheerful and ALWAYS organized.
Doris was proud of her Swedish heritage; one special memory was a trip to Sweden with her siblings and many of her cousins in 1998. She passed on many Swedish traditions including baking beautiful Swedish tea rings and ostkaka for Christmas. She was always ready to “have coffee” with friends and family. She loved her farm and enjoyed history, sharing the inspiring story of escaped slave and Liberty township homesteader Larry Lapsley with many audiences. An accomplished seamstress and pie baker, she delighted in growing flowers, watching birds, doing jigsaw puzzles, reading, and organizing photograph albums. One of her favorite things was receiving greeting cards—if you sent her a birthday or Christmas card, it was read and appreciated! Doris was a loving, selfless, devoted mother and encourager to her three children, and later to her 9 grandchildren, all of whom she adored and who adored her. She read her Bible daily, lived by example, and will be dearly missed by all who knew her.
Doris was preceded in death by her husband, Oscar Blomquist, sons Bernard and Kevin Blomquist, her parents, Edgar and Ruby Johnson, and her siblings, Carolyn Johnson and Eldon Johnson.
She is survived by two daughters, Denise Stein (David, dec.) of Gypsum and Lori Penner (Tim) of Clay Center, daughter-in-law, Stacy Blomquist of Pineville, LA, nine grandchildren, Emily Lind, Erica Moyer (Kyle), Elissa Westbrook (Andrew), Bethany Hofmann (Darren), Allison Haynes (Russell), Evan Penner (Katie), Rachel Blomquist, Ryan Blomquist, Megan Kirkendoll (Cameron), and 13 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday, August 9th at Crick-Christians Funeral Home.
The funeral service will be 10:00 a.m., Saturday, August 10th at Assaria Lutheran Church with Pastor Dean Apel officiating.
The funeral service will be live streamed, for those that cannot attend, on the Assaria Lutheran Church Facebook page.
Memorial contributions may be made to Assaria Lutheran Church. Memorials may be sent in care of Crick-Christian's Funeral Home, 103 North Washington, Lindsborg, KS 67456.
For more information or to leave condolences online, please visit www.crick-christiansfuneralhome.com.