Doris Huckbody

Doris D. Huckbody, 89, of Wausau, died Saturday, February 16, 2019, at Care Partners.

Doris was born on June 20, 1929 in the Town of Elderon, Wisconsin, to the late Guy and Orva (Thomas) Day, the third of six children.  She wed Ervin L. Huckbody on June 2, 1951 at First United Methodist Church, Wausau.  He preceded her in death on March 1, 2017.

Doris worked at the local drugstore while attending Wittenberg High School where she graduated on May 28, 1947.  She moved to Milwaukee after high school where she found work and lived next door to her older sister. She subsequently moved to Wausau where she worked as a cashier and a bookkeeper for Wisconsin Public Service before becoming a stay at home mother and secretary and bookkeeper for Quality Home Builders, a family business which operated for more than 50 years in the Wausau area.

She was a long-time member of First United Methodist Church, was active on committees and commissions in the church and held many offices in the Women’s Society and Christian Women’s Club.  She was trained in public speaking, taking the Dale Carnegie course in 1968 and went on to become a lay speaker, receiving her certificate in 1974. She organized city wide litter drives in Wausau and was instrumental in the formation of a support group for those with multiple sclerosis, a disease she suffered from for 40 years. She coordinated the first Christmas dinner in 1969 for those alone and/or shut in, with the help from the “Friends” youth volunteer group and support from First United Methodist Church. While others took over some aspects of organizing the dinner, she remained involved until the age of 78 in 2007. In that year, 200 meals were served, and 270 meals were delivered to those unable to leave their homes, all made possible by the 150 volunteers and with donations from individuals as well as local businesses and organizations. In her spare time, she enjoyed scrapbooking.

She is survived by a son, Lee (Linda) Huckbody, Ringle, WI; daughters, Lou Huckbody, Saint Paul, MN, and Laurie (Rodney Wilson) Huckbody, Colorado Springs, CO; one sister, Verna Emmel, Wittenberg, WI; and one brother, Alan Day, LaMirada, CA; grandchildren, John, Joseph, David, Zachary, and Anna Huckbody, and nine great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a sister, Eleanor Kilby; two brothers, Garold and Gayle Day; and two great-grandchildren.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 2, 2019, at First United Methodist Church, 903 3rd Street, Wausau, WI 54403. Pastor Jayneann McIntosh will officiate. Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday, March 1, 2019 at Brainard Funeral Home, 522 Adams Street, Wausau, and again on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service at the church. Burial will take place at a later date. Online condolences may be given at www.brainardfuneral.com.

Special thanks to the staff at Care Partners, Delikowski St. Weston, the nursing staff at Interim Hospice and Palliative Care, LLC, and to Brainard Funeral Home for their kind assistance.