Doris Irene Mellor, 94

Doris Irene Mellor, 94, passed away peacefully on July 15, 2026, at the West Lafayette Rehab and Nursing Facility, with her daughter Jackie Vaudrin by her side.

 

She was born in Tuscarawas County to the late John E. and Mary (nee Stonebrook) Patterson. She grew up on the farm with many brothers and sisters (14 in all!). Doris married Roger Allen Mellor on July 5, 1949, moved to Barberton, Ohio, and remained there for the rest of her active life.

 

While you can take the girl away from the farm, you can’t take the farm away from the girl. Doris was known for her farming and flowers, which she tended to far longer than she should have. She was the picture of midwestern grit – hard work with a bit of stubbornness thrown in. If she wasn’t outside in the gardens, baking pies or canning her harvest, you may have found her working at the local soup kitchen or chatting it up at the hairdressers. Through the years she enjoyed serving as a boy scout den mother, girl scout leader, and “lunch buddy.” Her dish scrubbies – whipped up in record time – were well known and shared everywhere she went. She mastered sewing skills and produced numerous quilts, unique sewing projects, and rag rugs from two ancient looms. Her home was often full of grandchildren, extended family members, and friends. She was never short of words and never met a stranger.

 

Doris was preceded in death by her husband, Roger, and three sons, James, Jonathan, and Joseph; sisters, Marjorie Lorenz and Ellen Pickrell; and brothers, John, William “Bill”, Earl, Charles (Jackie), Max, Larry, Tommy, and Keith.

 

She is survived by her daughter, Jacqueline Vaudrin; grandchildren, Adrienne (Jeff) Burdine, Daniella (John) Vaudrin, Nicole (Peter) O’Reilly, Jennifer (Brandon) Davies, James (Lindsay) Mellor, Autumn Mellor, Nathan Mellor, Alecia Mellor, and Ben Mellor; great-grandchildren, Katelyn, Lindsay, and Tyler Burdine, Natalie and Aran O’Reilly, Paige, Josie, and Everett Davies, Sydney and Thomas Mellor, and Lullie Mellor; sisters, Pat Bickensderfer and Susan Patterson; brother, Chester (Margaret) Patterson; and many other family members and friends.

 

Graveside services will be held at Greenlawn Cemetery (2580 Romig Rd, Akron, OH) on Monday, July 20, 2026 at 2:30 p.m. and will be officiated by Jason Bowman.

 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the donor’s choice in memory of Doris.