Doris Rich

RICH DORIS L. RICH (Age 88) DORIS L. RICH (age 88), beloved wife of the late Stanley Rich, died on Sunday, May 17, 2009, in Washington, DC.

Born in Saginaw, Michigan, Doris lived for many years in Asia, where she started as a Red Cross field assistant for the U.S. Army in Korea.

From 1949 through 1967, she was a freelance journalist-photographer in Hong Kong. Before moving to Washington, DC in the early 70s, she also taught English in Bangladesh and Ghana.

At the age of 66, Doris embarked on her career as a biographer; her published books include Amelia Earhart: A Biography and Queen Bess: Daredevil Aviator. Her last book was published in 2007.

The truest and most generous of friends; the most loving of mothers, grandmothers, and godmothers; and possibly the world''s most determined of crossword-puzzle solvers and tellers of stories, Doris is survived by and will always remain in the hearts of her family: daughter Chris Rich, of Asheville, NC; daughter Deborah Palacios and son-in-law Colin Prior, of Perth, Australia; son Dr. Lawrence Rich and daughter-in-law Celia Escudero-Espadas of Washington, DC; and grandson Ruben Salgado-Escudero of Berlin, Germany.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday June 6, 2009, at St. Thomas Apostle Church, 2665 Woodley Rd. NW, Washington, DC. An informal reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Thomas Apostle or Habitat for Humanity.    Published in The Washington Post from May 24 to May 31, 2009