Doris M. Mitchell, 101, of Seneca Falls and who grew up in Auburn, passed away on Friday, October 16th, 2026, at Seneca Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Waterloo. Her Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, October 23rd, at 11:00 AM at St. Patrick’s Church, 97 West Bayard St., Seneca Falls. Interment will be in St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Auburn where she will be laid to rest with her late husband, Robert.

Doris Crawford was born in Auburn, NY on August 26, 1925, and grew up as the second child in a boisterous and loving family of five daughters and one son. The life of her father, Robert Crawford, was balanced between the feminine energy of his home and his professional work that provided his family with stability and security during the Great Depression. Her mother, Florence Crawford, managed their household with love and grace, welcoming her children’s friends, who enjoyed the ping pong table in the basement and her molasses cookies.

Doris and the older sisters shared a large bedroom at the front of their house. Their window overlooked a street filled with children, who played together and sledded down the hill at the top of their street. In the evenings, she and her beloved father often danced in the living room, as she stood on his feet. Doris and Jeanne, the oldest sister, developed a lifelong bond, sharing clothes and adventures.

In high school, Doris studied on the college preparatory track, with several years of Latin and French. She also played on the high school tennis team.

During her junior year of high school, Doris’s father died of a heart attack. Her mother faced a life raising 6 children from 8-18 years old. The college track changed for Doris, who graduated high school and began working to help provide for her family.

The 1940s and World War II provided opportunities for young women to work and live independent lives. Doris’s career began in 1943 at ALCO in Auburn, where she learned data entry and key punch card operations.

The 1950s brought new technology to the Finger Lakes as Sylvania Corporation opened a location in Seneca Falls to manufacture tubes for television. Doris’s skills as a data entry operator were in demand and she was an early hire at Sylvania. She thrived with the challenge. In 1951, she met a young engineer, Bob Mitchell, who had recently moved from Pennsylvania to Seneca Falls. The co-workers dated and were married in 1956.

The 1960s saw the early childhoods of 3 sons in a house Doris and Bob had built in a new neighborhood on Leland Drive in Seneca Falls. Sundays were often spent at the Crawford family home in Auburn with family. As her sons grew in the 1970s, Doris became involved in community activities, including helping run the youth golf program at the Seneca Falls Country Club, bridge clubs, ladies golf leagues at the Seneca Falls Country Club, and the Women’s League in Seneca Falls. Doris was also a member of St. Patrick’s Church in Seneca Falls.

In the 1980s, Doris and Bob began their retirement with several trips to Myrtle Beach and spending time with Jeanne and her husband Ross. After a brief illness, Bob died in 1990 and Doris renavigated her life. The 1990s brought 3 daughters-in-law and 3 grandchildren. Doris learned to care for her home and finances independently. She again surrounded herself with friends. Doris loved watching sports and talking on the phone. She embraced new technology and soon paid her bills from her iPad and Facetimed with friends and family.

Doris aged at home, living independently until she was 98 with the help of her thoughtful and kind neighbors and friends. At that time, she moved to the Seneca Nursing Home, where she settled into a new life. She liked to have a bag of candy to share with the staff and many friends and relatives who came to visit her. Doris stayed engaged with her family, enjoying pictures and videos of her grandchildren and great-granddaughter. She was an avid reader of the local newspaper, which was delivered to the nursing home in a paper form. As always, she often talked on the phone with friends.

The staff at the Seneca Nursing Home took excellent care of Doris as she aged. Her passing was peaceful.

Doris is survived by her three sons, Robert of South Carolina, Bradley (Julia) of Romulus, John (Kimberly) of Webster; grandchildren, Hadley Mitchell (Maxime Christiaen), Benjamin Mitchell (Emily Broad), Evan Mitchell; great-granddaughter, Linnea Christiaen Mitchell; as well as several nieces, nephews and extended family. In addition to her husband, Robert, she was predeceased by her parents, Robert and Florence (Walsh) Crawford; sisters, Jeanne Westcott, Barbara Parker, Marilyn Smith, Nancy Morabito; brother, Robert Crawford; and daughter-in-law, Margaret Mitchell.

Donations in memory may be directed to St. Patrick’s Church (Parish Office), 35 Center St., Waterloo, NY 13165.