Doris Susan (LeVine) Gerl

Doris Susan (LeVine) Gerl, of Bethlehem died on August 19, 2017 at Waterbury Hospital. She was the wife of Jerome “Jerry” Gerl who predeceased her in June 2011. Jerry was the love of her life and they were married for just under 54 years.

Doris was born December 21, 1934 in New Haven CT., the daughter of the late Robert T LeVine and Florence LeVine. Doris always had a fire about her, a love for helping others and for animals. She went to School in New Haven and she was on the State Basketball team and also sang in the State Chorus in High School. She was proud of the fact that she once got to sing a solo at Bushnell Memorial. She wanted to go to Vet school and had been accepted to a couple of them but decided to go to Penn State where her sister was. She really missed her mother so she transferred to CT Teachers College (now Southern CT).  She always had a love of education. When she was 15 she started helping out in the tutoring school that her parents had. Her long career as a teacher spanned 40 years with her longest position being at Bethlehem Elementary, teaching 5th grade. She loved working with the students, and was firm but fair. She had a unique flair for getting children to love learning.

Her love of animals continued throughout her entire life. When she and Jerry moved to Bethlehem in 1970, she had her dream come true. She had been breeding and showing dogs for quite a few years, but it really took off after that, being on the farm meant that she could extend her animal family. She had a few different breeds of dogs over the years but ended up making quite a name for herself with her Norfolk Terriers.  In 1982 her Norfolk Mister became a national champion, solidifying her place as a top breeder. She instilled a love of animals in her children. They raised dairy goats, showed dogs in dog shows and spent many happy weekends going to dog shows all over the upper east coast. Doris also took part in dog show judging, she had a great eye for a well put together animal. She loved the farm, the animals and working in her gardens. After she retired from teaching, she gardened for a large estate and received her Master Gardeners certificate from UCONN in 1992. She could very often be found out in the gardens for hours at a time, she took great pride in them.

Family was everything to Doris, she always said “Your family will always be your best friends”. Her devotion to her family and the people that she considered family was evident in everything that she did. She was never too tired or too busy to hear a story about the family’s day. She loved to cook and was well known for her Chinese chicken wings. Even though she was not the most social person, she loved throwing parties at the house. She would do all the cooking and the food was amazing. She loved it, it made her happy to see others happy. She and Jerry helped many people over the years, when they had nowhere to go. She never wanted anyone to feel that they were unloved.

Doris leaves a large legacy. She leaves her 3 Daughters:  Lori Kane of Mildenhall, UK., Donna Whitlock of Bethlehem, Ct., and Heidi Murray of Bethlehem, Ct., 2 sons in laws, Norman Kane of Mildenhall, UK., and Mark Cole of Bethlehem, CT., 6 grandchildren and their significant others, Jeremy Whitlock and Sylvia of Annapolis, MD., Julie Kane and Byron of Birmingham, UK., Joshua Whitlock and Kami of Cheyenne, WY., Jordan Whitlock and Kelley of Cheyenne, WY., Cody Murray and Elizabeth of Peabody, MA., and Jessica Kane of San Antonio. TX., 3 great grandchildren: Dahlia Murray, Wyatt Murray of Peabody, MA., and Brighton Whitlock of Cheyenne, WY., plus extended family Marge Ferrera and her children Kerri, Melissa, Tom and Fred; Sara and her children Riley and Connor, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins around the world and many friends. Her longtime friend Dottie Detlefsen has been a constant in her life throughout her illness. Doris is also predeceased by her sister Nedra Einstein.

We would like to thank the staff at Waterbury Hospital for the loving care they gave her, the staff at Brandywine Living in Litchfield for welcoming her, and to her 3 main care givers over the last 3 years Vanna, Aracelly and Fiore. We couldn’t have done it without you, thank you for treating her with dignity and respect.

A Memorial gathering will be held Monday August 28, 2017 from 5-7 p.m. at Munson Lovetere Funeral Home, 2 School St., Woodbury, with a short service to be held at 6:30 p.m. Burial will be private in the Bethlehem Cemetery.

In lieu of Flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimers Foundation, 322 Eighth Avenue, 7th floor, New York, NY 10001 or the Bethlehem Ambulance Association, 85 Main St S, Bethlehem, CT 06751. 

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