Doris Kamrath

Doris Irene Richter Kamrath went home to her Heavenly Father on September 3, 2023.  Her work for her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ being done after 93 years.  Praise be to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for the beautiful life He gave her.  

Visitation will be 6:00 to 8:00 pm, Friday, September 8, 2023, at The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road.

Funeral services will be held 10:00 am on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at Zion Lutheran Church in Abilene with Pastor Clyde Kieschnick officiating.  Burial and graveside service will be in Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Walburg, Texas at 4:00pm with Pastor Richard Riggert officiating.

Doris Irene Richter was born to Max Johann Christian Richter and Clara Minna (Pillack) Richter on March 10, 1930 in Alice, Texas.  She was baptized March 24, 1930 at St Paul’s, Kingsville, TX.   She grew up on the cotton farm outside of Alice with her four sisters and two brothers. She said she spoke German at home, English at school and Spanish with playmates on the farm.  She had stories of the farm and how her dad took the whole family on vacation throughout the country where “eventually the whole family put their feet in all 48 states, Mexico and Canada”.

When it came time for her to be confirmed, she went to live with her grandparents Traugott and Hulda Richter in Walburg, TX where she attended school at Zion Lutheran and was confirmed March 26, 1944.

Doris attended St John’s Lutheran College in Winfield, KS taking classes to become a teacher and organ lessons.  That is where she met the love of her life, Robert (Bob) F. Kamrath.  After graduating in 1950, Bob went on to Concordia Seminary, St Louis, MO and Doris took her first teaching assignment in Springfield, Illinois.   In those days, for a seminarian to get married, they needed permission from the President of the seminary and their parents.  They got it from both and were married at Trinity Lutheran, Alice, TX on August 26, 1951.  They had seven children over ten years while living in Missouri, N Dakota, Corpus Christi and Wilson, Texas.  Everywhere they lived she played the organ for church and taught Sunday school, sang in choir and went to Ladies aid (now called LWML).

Her children call her blessed. She taught them well to love their Lord Jesus, to sing to the Lord and to work hard at whatever they did for the Lord. She shared with them her love for gardening, baking, camping, making wine and singing.  And her sewing and craft projects were numerous.   

She was blessed to get a teaching job at the Lutheran school at Bethany LCMS when they moved to Houston, TX.  She taught 3rd grade for 14 years and loved every minute of it.  She loved science and had all kinds of hands-on experiments for the school kids.  She also helped with the Christmas programs and children’s choir.

They moved to Gatesville when Bob took a call to be Chaplain at the TDC women’s prison and found a house with some small acreage where Doris could use her God given talents in bread baking, tutoring school kids, gardening, raising chickens, geese and a couple of turkeys.  It is a place of many wonderful family memories.

She and Bob traveled a lot visiting family and friends in all the different States, even Alaska and Hawaii. They had some fun in retirement building a house in Colorado and lived there for five years exploring and enjoying God’s beautiful creation.

After Colorado they moved to Abilene, Texas.  After Bob’s death, Doris stayed busy in her garden and sewing for the grandkids.  She became very involved in the ministry at Zion Lutheran Church singing in the choir, playing handbells, playing the organ several times a month, helping get the Journey to Bethlehem project started by making many of the costumes and sewed may bibs for the kids at All God’s Children daycare at Zion.

In her final years she was watched over by her loving daughter Susie & Timothy Propst.  And later by the caring and loving people at Chilsom Place in Abilene.  Even though she was losing her sight and hearing and memory, she always remembered her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and was a joy to all who met her. She loved her Pastor.  PK she lovingly would call him and he tenderly called her Reverend Mother.   

Doris is preceded in death by her loving husband, Bob; her parents, Max & Minnie Richter; her brothers Lawrence Richter & Edward Richter and sisters, Elfrieda Brubaker and Joyce Richter and son-in-law Timothy Propst.  She is survived by her sisters, Mary Ann Ohlenbusch of San Antonio, TX; Clara Rank of New Jersey; and sister-in-law Jan Richter of Whitney, TX.  By her children Sherri (Richard) Riggert of Seattle, WA; Steve (Paulette) Kamrath of Canon City, CO; Tim (Kathy) Kamrath of Bastrop, TX; Mark (Mary) Kamrath of Opelika, AL; Susie Propst of Abilene, TX; John Max Kamrath of Georgetown, TX; and Ruthann (Lynn) Stroud of Bryan, TX.  By Grandchildren Rebalyn (Shawn) Wolfington; Jena (Alan) Tepe; Megan (Joseph) Edwards; Caitlin (Luke) Crawford; Nate Kamrath; Luke Kamrath; Dan Kamrath; Joshua (Erin) Stroud; Robert (Elizabeth) Stroud; and Katie Stroud.  By her great grandchildren Winter Wolfington, Ezra Tepe, Alivia Edwards, Myka Edwards, Kaeden Crawford, Ava Crawford, Clara Stroud, Rebecca Stroud, Susannah Stroud and Emma Stroud and special extended family members including Barbara Taake of Houston, TX, Bud and Carolyn Rice of Buena Vista, CO, Bjorn and Janice Johansen of Houston, TX and Darrell and Bonnie Niedert of Ft. Worth, TX.  And by numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and many other children she called her own.  Don’t forget what Grandma always said – “Angels watching”.

The family would like to thank the loving caregivers and staff at Chisholm Place where Doris lived her last few years.  Having been there for a while, they are like family and will miss her too.   And much thanks to the loving caregivers of Hendrick Hospice…they are all angels on earth.

In lieu of flowers, memorials contributions can be made to Zion Lutheran Church, Hendrick Hospice or a charity of your choice.