Obituary for Doris Willbanks


Doris was born on November 1, 1942 in Findlay, Ohio, and died at her home on February 20, 2026 at the age of 83. Her parents were strong and devoted Christians from the Depression era. From that beginning, she clung to her faith and frugality. Her grown children recently got a laugh when looking at her laundry basket held together with strings.


Doris' father, a Christian minister, served as a chaplain in WW 2, and her mother taught school and was the loving anchor of their home. Doris often shared memories of singing hymns on family vacations, praying before every meal, attending revival meetings, and accompanying her father while he ministered in rescue missions, nursing homes, orphanages, and other helping agencies. Even as a young girl she sang before her father preached and eagerly anticipated her own baptism, longing to "walk in the newness of life."


During her junior high and high school years in New Mexico, Doris developed her musical gifts, playing a trombone and the piano for church services, participating in Youth for Christ. She volunteered at the local hospital and enrolled at the University of New Mexico, but at the last minute she took encouragement to go to a Bible college in Missouri for a year, which turned into four years, plus additional studies at Evangel College to obtain her teaching credentials. During those years Doris traveled in a social trio to area churches, participated in mission trips, received solid biblically oriented studies, and met the love of her life, Barry Willbanks. They were married before her senior year, beginning a lifelong partnership in faith and ministry.


Doris and Barry shared 62.5 years of devoted marriage, serving side by side in ministry, raising their family and faithfully following wherever God led them.


When Barry decided to extend his studies at Harvard, Doris found employment in the Graduate School of Business in the case-studies office, and then when a teaching job opened, she turned to teaching middle schoolers, and even spent a year teaching home-bound students who could not flourish in a public school. Some had permanent obstacles while others were healing from skiing accidents, etc. Overall, however, she didn't find teaching to be what she had envisioned, God's plan for her teaching took a new turn in unexpected and beautiful ways.


A pivotal chapter began when Doris and Barry moved to California's Bay Area, where Barry accepted a pastoral call in Redwood City. Doris became the director and teacher of the church's "children's church" and later taught adults in the Bethel Series at Menlo Church and First Christian in RC. During the seventies, Doris gave birth to their son, Michael who became a Pastor in Santa Barbara, and went searching how they might adopt a daughter from Vietnam. When that door closed, they found an abandoned baby in Korea and embraced parenthood wholeheartedly again. Bethany settled in Redwood City in the competitive world of pharmaceutical sales to physicians.


While dedicating herself to her family, Doris worked in the corporate world for 35 years, assisting executives with unusual integrity and excellence. One told HR in his review, "She doesn't have a bad bone in her." She also won awards from her peers for her excellence as a senior administrator. Yet, she was also highly engaged in teaching Sunday School (sometimes dressed up like a Bible character) with props of her own making. Beyond this she took on seasonal opportunities like Vacation Bible School and tutoring in East Palo Alto helping underprivileged children how to learn.


Doris is survived by her devoted husband of 63 years, Barry Willbanks; her children Michael Willbanks and his wife, Lara and Bethany Chung and her husband John; her grandchildren, Josh and Zack Willbanks, and Cooper Chung, and her own sister, Phyllis Dodd.


A service to celebrate Doris' life will be held on March 30 at 1:30 pm at Peninsula Covenant Church, 3560 Farm Hill Blvd. Redwood City, CA 94062. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to The Salvation Army in Redwood City, honoring her lifelong commitment to serving others.