Doris Ilene (Metheny) Kepler

Doris Kepler, 97 years, 6 months and 2 days, lived most of her adult life in the Culver community, passing away at the home of her son Mark at 11:20 PM on December 29, 2024.

Born the third of four children of Roscoe and Edna Sellers Metheny, Doris entered this world on June 27, 1927, on the family farm on 15B Road north of State Road 10 in Tippecanoe Township near Bourbon, Marshall County, Indiana. It was a hot day perfect for baling hay, and the hired hands had come in for lunch when Doris arrived.  Doris’ family included her parents, older brothers Clarence and Carl and eventually younger sister Betty.

Doris attended Bourbon Schools for 12 years, graduating from Bourbon High School with the class of 1945. After high school, she worked several jobs including Lemler’s Grocery Store, Joyner Corporation and Elkhart Coach in Bourbon plus Ritz Craft in Argos. Doris cleaned homes around Lake Maxinkuckee while her boys were in elementary school. By far her favorite job was as a school bus driver for Culver Community Schools. She drove children to and fro for 31 years, retiring in May 2001.  Everywhere she went until quite recently, there were former students who wanted to say “hello”.  She truly enjoyed being a bus driver, keeping discipline while building friendships.

She was introduced by mutual friends to a young US Navy veteran from Culver who was assisting an injured farmer near Bourbon. Doris married Robert Guy Kepler in the EUB church in Bourbon on Sunday, April 3, 1949. They made their home in a log cabin on 18th Road east of Culver on ground that had been in Bob’s family for generations.  They raised their sons Vaughn and Mark there, and in the early 60’s, they moved to their home on Pear Road.  Bob passed away January 17, 2013, having lived nearly 64 years as her spouse.  In July 2018, Doris moved to live with Mark’s family in rural Argos where she remained until her passing.

Doris and Bob had a small dairy and raised many animal species. When the boys reached 4-H age, both parents got involved with the program. Doris remained a 4-H leader for over 40 years. She was instrumental in establishing the Dairy Goat project in Marshall County in the mid 1970’s, a project first enjoyed by Mark and then his sons. She was a Marshall County 4-H Fair Board member. She served on the Marshall County Extension Board from 1991-1997. Around 1990 Doris was honored as the Friend of Extension, chosen by Extension organizations in Marshall County for her contributions. She graduated from the Master Gardener program in 1991. Doris was the last charter member of Home & Hobby Extension Homemakers, an organization she joined in 1953 and participated in until her death. For 30 plus years, Doris invited the “club” ladies in every Tuesday from January through April to sew for others, a project she adored.  She served as county Extension Homemaker President in 1978.

Moving to the Culver area, Doris and Bob began attending Santa Anna United Methodist Church, and she was active in teaching Sunday School, helping with fundraisers and community outreach and participating in the women’s programs. Another long-time membership was with Marshall County Farm Bureau where she served as the Union Township Women’s Leader from the latter 70’s til 2019.  For a few years in the early 2000s, Doris served on the USDA Farm Services Agency Board as well.

Doris was a large personality.  She loved people, seemingly gaining energy when surrounded by friends and family.  Music was important to her; she enjoyed playing on the piano but ultimately played alto saxophone as a young girl and also later as a grandmother when the family played together for Christmas programs.  She was a hands-on grandma, with the grands spending many weekends with her, sleeping on her “magic couch”.  She had a kindred spirit in her daughter in law Tweet. They attended concerts, she drew her into membership in the organizations that were important to her, and where you saw one, the other often followed. Doris was not afraid to use a gun on a varmint, and the family enjoyed ribbing her about shooting holes through the awning of her home and on a second occasion, accidentally killing a hog when she didn’t see it in her line of sight.  She was well known for her antics. Doris had a kind heart, never wanting people to be alone on holidays. Often there would be an additional person joining the family. Christmas 2024 she cried tears of joy when her dear sister surprised her for the day.

Survivors include her sons Vaughn Lee (Pam) Kepler and Mark Allen (Roberta) Kepler, four grandchildren, Molly (Spud) Armstrong (Rochester, IN), Matthew (Mesa, AZ), Scott (at home) and Luke Kepler (Chesterton), and great grand-daughters Lindy and Jolene Armstrong. Her little sister Betty Dodson Stevenson, Bourbon, is the sole survivor of her nuclear family. Doris has many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends who also survive.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Bob, brothers Clarence and Carl, sisters in law Eleanor, Bernice and Norma Metheny and brothers in law Keith Dodson and Cliff Stevenson.

Visitation is 4-7 p.m. Friday, January 3, 2025. Her funeral service is at 10 A.M. Saturday, January 4, at Earl-Grossman Funeral Home in Argos.

Burial will be at Poplar Grove Cemetery located on State Road 10, east of Culver alongside her husband and his family. Memorial contributions may be made to Home & Hobby Extension Homemakers OR Marshall County Open Class (checks written to Marshall County Extension Homemakers with “Open Class” in the memo line).  Memorials can be given to the family or mailed to Becky Hartman, 17040 Lincoln Highway, Plymouth, IN  46563.

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