Statler Family Obituaries
Davault, Doris (nee Brennecke)
Doris Brennecke Davault, 94, of Jackson passed away Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015, at Jackson Manor Nursing Home.
She was born Oct. 25, 1920, in Allenville, to Joseph Henry "Joe" and Cora Chostner Brennecke. She and William Hughes Davault were married Nov. 20, 1941. They had been married 70 years when he passed away July 7, 2012.
Doris was the young age of 16 when she graduated high school and was valedictorian of her class. She attended Southeast Missouri State University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1942. In 1970 she received a master's in business education from Southeast, and was the first person to receive a master's in business education from the university.
Doris started teaching school at the age of 19. Schools in which she taught are Delta, Bell City, Oak Ridge, 18 years at Jackson High School and a term at Southeast. This included a year at the former Liberty Elementary School near Gordonville and a year in the elementary grades at Delta, a total of 31 years of teaching. Prior to teaching at Jackson, she sponsored classes, school newspapers and yearbooks, and directed school plays. Five yearbooks were dedicated to her.
While teaching at Jackson, she organized the first cooperative-type program (also the first in Southeast Missouri high schools) in which students could be enrolled in clerical or secretarial office practice classes and receive both school credit and financial compensation for working in local community businesses. She enjoyed serving as president of district and state Business Teachers Contest Association and had many successful students in those contests. She was the first business teacher to have Southeast student teachers in her classroom -- 22 students in 14 years. She retired in 1976.
After retirement, she authored and published three family history and genealogy books and co-authored another with her late cousin, Herbert Schaper.
Doris had been a faithful member of New McKendree United Methodist Church in Jackson since 1956. In addition to serving on many committees, she was a 50-plus year member and past president of United Methodist Women; a member of the Together Sunday school class, and had periodically taught Sunday school since 1976. In 1997, she wrote "One Hundred Years Methodist Women's Organizations, 1897 to 1997," and also directed a pageant at New McKendree commemorating the work of Methodist women.
Other offices and affiliations include past regent of John Guild Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution; district officer, state chairman, and state officer in the Missouri State Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and she was inducted in 2014 as an honorary regent of the local chapter; longtime member and past worthy matron of Order of the Eastern Star; longtime member of Jackson Heritage Association and a tour chairwoman in its early years; and a member of Cape Girardeau County Genealogy Association and Missouri Retired Teachers Association.
Loving survivors include a son, Webster Joe (Gail) Davault of Jackson; a daughter, Suzanna (David) Clippard of Richmond, Virginia; five grandchildren, Dax (Marti) Davault and Ian (Janice) Davault of Pensacola, Florida, Matthew (Lauren) Clippard and Mark (Stacy) Clippard of Sarasota, Florida, and Kristen (Kristian) Zamber of Arlington, Texas; 11 great-grandchildren; nephews and nieces, Clinton (Beth) Summers, Alan (Pat) Summers, Paul (Sue) Davault and Mary Chris Davault; and a sister-in-law, Jean Davault of Richmond, Missouri.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by a sister, Carman Brennecke Below.
Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the chapel of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson, and from 1 p.m. to service time Sunday at South Campus of New McKendree Church, 1770 S. Hope St.
The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the church, with the Revs. Jimmie Corbin and David Clippard officiating. Burial will be in Cape County Memorial Park in Cape Girardeau.
Memorials may take the form of contributions to New McKendree United Methodist Church in Jackson.
Printed in the Friday, February 6, 2015 edition of the Southeast Missourian, Cape Girardeau, MO.
©2015 by David Statler of StatlerWeb