Doris Nadine Harder, 94, passed away on July 4, 2026, at Presbyterian Manor in Salina, Kansas, with her daughters, Jan Burton and Conni Williams, by her side.

Doris was born on August 12, 1931, in Lakin, Kansas, to Joe and Hazel Anderson. She grew up on a farm in the Menno community of southwest Kansas with her three sisters. The girls attended a one-room schoolhouse, where Doris was often the only student in her grade. A gifted and voracious reader from an early age, she had read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica by the time she completed sixth grade.

Her childhood was shaped by the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Doris often recalled seeing towering walls of dust roll toward the family farm from the west and watching fine dirt sift through the windows of their brick home. During those long years of drought, farming was difficult, and every member of the family contributed. Doris and her sisters helped with the farmwork and walked to school or shared a single bicycle—wearing homemade dresses sewn from chicken-feed and flour sacks.

Doris attended high school in Lakin, living with “Aunt May” during the school week. She excelled academically, graduated as valedictorian of her class at age 16, and played tenor saxophone in the school band. Her parents placed great importance on education and ensured that all four of their daughters attended college. Each became a first-generation college graduate of Emporia State University.

At Emporia State, Doris studied home economics and served as president of her sorority. It was there that she met her future husband, Theodore “Ted” Harder. They were married on June 10, 1952, and began their careers as teachers. After their daughters, Jan and Conni, were born, Doris devoted herself to raising her family.

Doris and Ted lived in several Kansas communities before settling in the Kansas City area. Determined to continue her education, Doris attended the University of Missouri–Kansas City, earning a master’s degree in counseling in 1968. She then worked as an elementary school counselor. She was the classic “super-mom”, sewing all her daughters’ clothes, cooking all the meals, and faithfully attending their many sporting events and activities, all while working.

In 1974, Doris and Ted purchased the Salina Truck Plaza, a 24-hour truck stop and restaurant along Interstate 70, and moved to Salina. Doris managed the restaurant, learned to play golf, and formed enduring friendships with her neighbors and others throughout the community.

After selling the truck stop, Doris and Ted spent time in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where they enjoyed hiking and skiing. Doris was an avid gardener, an accomplished (and healthy) cook, and an enthusiastic traveler who explored destinations around the world. She also enjoyed playing bridge throughout most of her life.

Doris was deeply involved in the Salina community. She served as a trustee of the Central Kansas Mental Health Center and Emporia State University and volunteered with Salina Regional Health Center, Salina First United Methodist Church, Meals on Wheels, and P.E.O. Chapter DL. In 2019, Doris and Ted moved to Presbyterian Manor, where they continued to form meaningful friendships with fellow residents and members of the staff.

Doris will be remembered for her intelligence, resilience, generosity, and lifelong curiosity, as well as for her deep devotion to her family, friends, and community. She taught her daughters common sense, good financial management, and family values and was often the glue that held together the extended family of nieces, nephews and offspring.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Theodore “Ted” Harder, in 2021; her parents, Joe and Hazel Anderson; her sisters, Twila Stone and Lois Bailey; her son-in-law, Connor Burton, and her ex son-in-law, Peter Pfendler.

Doris is survived by her daughters, Jan Burton of Boulder, Colorado, and Conni Williams and her husband, Mike, of Durango, Colorado; her grandchildren, Elizabeth Anne Burton of Fort Collins, Colorado, and Allison Cole and her husband, Carlton, of Richardson, Texas; her great-grandchildren, Connor and Kenna Cole; her sister, June Hovorka of Smyrna, Georgia; and many cherished nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

A memorial service will be held at Salina First United Methodist Church in Salina, Kansas, on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. A reception will follow at Homewood Suites.

Memorial contributions may be made in Doris’s honor to Salina First United Methodist Church.