Doris Minter, 95, of Santa Monica, passed away on May 5th, 2022, surrounded by her family.  Our mom was the glue that kept this family together and she was one of a kind!  She loved life, her kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, flying, friends, and my dad.  She was kind, exuberant, fiercely protective of her family, and pretty funny.  She was born on April 18th, 1927 in Pittsburg, PA.  She had a brother, Jack, who was disabled and who she took great care of.  We grew up with him and learned empathy and how to love those who were different.  Our parents met in Santa Monica in 1943 in summer school geometry class at Santa Monica High School.  He says he sat behind her and loved her strawberry blond hair that stayed "red" until her death at 95!  She was 17 and he was 16.  Dad joined the Marine Corps in 1945 and was scheduled to ship out on September 10th.  He anticipated being away for at least two years so they decided to get married before he left.  Our mom's parents didn't think much of the idea but they were married anyway by a priest in Ocean Side California in the early morning hours just before he left on a troop ship.  They liked to play the Natalie Cole song They Thought We Were Too Young  and say "they were so wrong!"  Dad was initally on his way to China but they stopped at Pearl Harbor and when they found out he could type, he was assigned to an IBM records unit in Hawaii.  Seven months later, our mom joined him and they began a great honeymoon and life together.  While in Hawaii, Dad became interested in aviation after accepting a ride with a friend.  He began taking lessons and finished his first solo shift just before returning to California in 1947.  Mom was not one to stand by watching, so she caught the flying bug as well and soloed at Santa Monica Airport in 1960.  She was a member of the 99's - an international organization of women pilots.  She was a commercial pilot with an instrument rating and also held an aircraft and power plant mechanic license!  She completed these courses with our dad at West LA College as well as her Associate of Science degree when she was 65.  

When we were kids, she participated in many air races including the Power Puff Derby, a transcontinental course that started in Santa Monica, CA and ended in Cleveland, OH.  I remember missing her and wondering why she was gone but now I look back and just feel pride.  She even flew patrols for the Santa Monica Police Department in their Cessna 172, 2-3 hours a night three days a week for more than 2 years.  To us, she was just Mom. But writing this, I feel she was so so much more.  She raised 3 kids, worked with our dad as his legal secretary when he was an attorney, and helped him get elected to the City Council and then become the mayor of Santa Monica.  She worked behind the scenes when he was elected to the Judicial bench.  Behind every successful man, there is an amazing woman!  That was our Mom.  They were a team and the epitome and hallmark of mutual devotion.  She understood him like no other.  They continued to fly together until *** when it was just too difficult for her to pull herself up into an airplane, but by that time she had logged over 3000 hours of flight time.  Mom also worked for the Santa Monica School District for 17 years helping kids who were struggling and in the continuing education program.  She had a wonderful knack for getting these kids to trust her because she cared.  Once we all got married,  she stepped into the role of Grandma like it was second nature.  She loved her grandkids and did fun things with them.  She always dyed eggs at Easter with them while we worked and was always there for us when our kids got sick.  Our parents always had an airplane and spent a lot of time at the Santa Monica Airport working in their hangar.  They made a lot of friends and truly enjoyed this passion together.   Later in her life, she suffered from health issues that limited what she could do but she never lost her zest for life and her family.  She would call each of us daily to catch up on what we were doing and to see how her grandkids were.  COVID was hard for them and us.  She wasn't able to travel and didn't get to meet all her great-grandkids but she did learn to video chat and wanted to see and talk to them.  She was immensely proud of all of us.

Our parents were married for 76 years.  Our dad called her his sweetheart and gave her one rose for each year they were married.  You can imagine that at some point this got crazy for the florist to do!  When they hit 50 years, they renewed their vows in a real church wedding.  All the kids participated and she looked beautiful and was so happy!  It was the first time I can remember Dad getting visually emotional.  Fortunately, they came up with a plan for the roses.  The florist dipped one of the roses in gold and that stood for fifty years and then he started adding roses to that.  At 76 years, it was huge again but this was his thing.

Our Mom was an amazing person.  Having her gone has left a huge hole in our hearts and our families.  She was our cheerleader and loved us no matter what shenanigans we pulled!  I know I speak for my siblings when I say we miss talking to her and sharing our lives with her.  There are so many times when something happens that my first thought is to pick up the phone and tell her, but I can't.  I picture her surrounded by her family, and the dogs we have lost recently, at her feet while she sips on a large glass of wine!

Dad just passed away on 12/22/22 in a plane accident on the beach in Santa Monica.  He missed her terribly and was fortunate enough to have a friend to fly with.  He died doing something he absolutely loved and we hope and pray that they are together again.  He always said 77 years wasn't enough.  

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