Doris Lloyd (Shaw) Mauk
Doris Lloyd (Shaw) Mauk
Doris Lloyd (Shaw) Mauk, known as “Honey” to her grandchildren and great grandchildren, died peacefully of natural causes at her home in Boise, Idaho on Friday,
January 13, 2017. At the time of her death, Honey was only a few months shy of her 100th birthday.
Doris Mauk’s parents, Dr. Lloyd and Elizabeth Shaw, settled in Idaho in 1913, where Dr. Shaw established his dental practice in Pocatello. Doris was born in Pocatello on May 14, 1917. She and her younger brother, Robert V. Shaw, later a Twin Falls optometrist, attended the local schools and she graduated from Pocatello High School in 1935.
January 13, 2017. At the time of her death, Honey was only a few months shy of her 100th birthday.
Doris Mauk’s parents, Dr. Lloyd and Elizabeth Shaw, settled in Idaho in 1913, where Dr. Shaw established his dental practice in Pocatello. Doris was born in Pocatello on May 14, 1917. She and her younger brother, Robert V. Shaw, later a Twin Falls optometrist, attended the local schools and she graduated from Pocatello High School in 1935.
Following graduation, Doris, an accomplished vocalist, joined the Kenny Harten Band, singing in various venues around Pocatello while attending The University of Idaho Southern Branch (now ISU). In 1936, she transferred to the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, where she obtained a Certificate of Dental Hygiene. Following brief work as a hygienist and one year at the University of Oklahoma, she returned to USC, which she graduated from in 1941 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education.
During her time in the dental hygiene program, Doris met her future husband, Jack Lawrence Mauk, from San Angelo, Texas. Dr. Mauk received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the USC Dental School in 1938, and practiced dentistry in Hollywood for a year before joining the US Navy Dental Corp as a commissioned officer in the Pacific fleet. Fortunately, Dr. Mauk’s ship – the U.S.S. Altair – was redeployed to the Atlantic Fleet late in October 1941, thereby avoiding the December attack on Pearl Harbor. Doris and Jack became engaged when the Altair docked briefly in San Diego enroute to the Atlantic. Nine months later, Doris and her mother saved enough WWII gasoline ration coupons to drive from Idaho to Portsmouth, Virginia, where Jack and Doris were married in a military ceremony on July 9, 1942.
In 1943, Dr. Mauk incurred a service-connected disability and retired from the US Navy with the rank of lieutenant commander. The Mauks then moved to Pocatello, where Dr. Mauk opened his dental practice and the couple started their family. Other than a brief move to Santa Rosa, California in 1953, the Mauks spent their entire married life in Pocatello. Dr. Mauk predeceased Doris in 1989, as had her brother, Robert.
Although Doris worked as a dental hygienist from time to time for both her father and her husband, her time and considerable energy were primarily devoted to her family, church, and community. She was active in volunteer work, serving on many boards, and was especially committed to her membership in Ruth Chapter #13 of the Order of Eastern Star and the P.E.O. Sisterhood, Chapter K. She joined the P.E.O. state board in 1969, served as the Idaho President in 1975, and was the oldest living past-president at the time of her death.
Doris was a committed lifetime member of the First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) in Pocatello, where she served on countless committees, sang in the choir for over 40 years, and provided principal funding to rebuild the church’s historic pipe organ.
She was a creative and talented homemaker who sewed fashionable dresses for herself and her daughters and who, for years, provided her family and friends with handcrafts of her creation. She loved music, and was an annual season ticket holder and supporter of the Pocatello Symphony and, more recently, the Boise Philharmonic. She was a member of several bridge clubs and an avid reader, particularly enjoying historical fictions and biographies which, in her later years, and with her eyes failing, she continued to enjoy on books-on-tape.
During their marriage, Doris and Jack travelled extensively both within the United States and internationally. Even after the loss of her husband, Doris continued to explore the world with some of her life-long friends from Pocatello, eventually visiting numerous countries in five continents. Honey also delighted in introducing her grandchildren to travel and adventure. During their mid-teen years, all but one of them accompanied her on an international trip, including adventures in the British Isles, Europe, and South Africa. Nevertheless, her lifetime favorite place remained nearby Yellowstone National Park, which she toured countless times from the time she was two years old. She was also a frequent visitor at her children’s homes in Australia, Alaska and New York.
As the years advanced and health problems intruded, Doris was forced to curtail, and eventually eliminate, her beloved travel adventures (including a long anticipated trip with her 6th grandchild). Honey was determined, however, not to let her physical limitations get the best of her, and continued to live independently in her Pocatello home until just after her 97th birthday This feat was accomplished with the help of several generous and caring friends from Pocatello, and many of her P.E.O. sisters and fellow parishioners. In June 2014, she moved to the Brookdale Retirement Village in Boise. The relocation placed her near her son, Bill, and his family, although she was quick to remind everyone that her new address was an independent adult apartment; not an assisted living facility.
Honey had the good fortune of participating in the marriages of four of her grandchildren. Most recently, at age 96, she shared wedding toasts and dancing in Denver, and, at age 99, made a final trip to Savannah, Georgia, to celebrate the wedding of one of her granddaughters. Throughout her life, Doris denied that there was anything special about her. Among other things, however, her children constantly marveled about her ability to attract and nourish innumerable friendships over the years. This was a primary characteristic of her life. During her final years, she was grateful for the companionship and support of her newest friends among the residents and staff at Brookdale. Most of those who knew Doris during her senior years never failed to be impressed by her independence, amazed by her tenacity and strength of character, and pleased by her enduring grace.
During her final days, Honey’s entire family, from near and far away, assembled in Boise to comfort her and celebrate her remarkable life. Doris Mauk is survived by her four children and their spouses: John Mauk (Ellen) of Garden City, New York; Bill Mauk (Susan) of Boise, Idaho; Catherine Mauk (Mark Cranfield) of Canberra, Australia; and Nancy Hardman (Dennis) of Eagle River, Alaska. She is also survived by six grandchildren and their spouses: Sam Mauk (Jennifer), Jonathan Mauk (Amber), Daniel Mauk (Jennifer), Stephanie Mauk Drerup (Lucas), Kyle Hardman, and Rose Hardman; three great-grandchildren: Lilly, Jacob, and Anna Mauk; her nieces Sandy Olsen and Susan Benson, and her nephew, Jimmie Shaw.
A memorial service will be held at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, in Pocatello later this year. Memorials can be made to the Idaho P.E.O. Sisterhood, the Pocatello United Church of Christ, or the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
1917 - 2017
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