Doris Jane Schaarschmidt Van Natta, age 84, passed away on Thursday, March 21 in Rockingham, PA, after a bad-ass fight with cancer. Born in 1939 in Philadelphia, PA, she was predeceased by her parents, Paul and Jane (nee Carson) Schaarschmidt.
Doris resided in Doylestown, PA, previously living in Drexel Hill, PA, Morris Plains, NJ, and Denville, NJ.
She is survived by her daughter Carroll Lanyi (nee Van Natta), son-in-law Robert Lanyi of Sparta, NJ, grandchildren Katharine Jane Coleman (nee Lanyi) and her husband Danny of Middletown, NJ, Erik Robert Lanyi of Chester, NJ, and her partner of 39 years Michael Leta.
Graduating with the class of 1957 at Frankford High School in Philadelphia, PA, she continued her education at Drexel University majoring in archaeology where she met her former husband Robert J. Van Natta.
Doris worked as a buyer for Hewlett-Packard, as a photo assistant and maybe her favorite – at Morris Plains hardware store. She loved international travel, reading, history, her life long interest in Archaeology, the comic strip Little Lulu, who was a very smart little girl but stubborn and made sure to tell boys that girls were just as good at things as boys were, yep, that’s Doris. She also fiddled with the Lute, Banjo and Dulcimer. She was a force to be reckoned with.
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