Our beloved mother was called home to be with our Heavenly Father on Thursday morning, April 14, 2016 at the age of 89.
Hardworking, dedicated to life, embodying Christian values, believing in education and fostering youth development are just a few words that describe the loving and compassionate person that was Doris Helen Schwartz Block. Doris was born November 27, 1926 in a small bungalow house one mile west of Fairview School in Tom Green County. She and her parents lived on Schwartz Road, which was named for them, since 1927.
Doris grew up with the ideals of making life better for her family and her community. She attended Fairview Elementary School where three generations, including Doris, her three children, and seven of her grandchildren attended south of San Angelo. She continued her education at San Angelo High School and, with the beginning of WWII, she reluctantly gave up a scholarship for her second year at San Angelo Junior College in 1944-45 to help maintain the family farm.
Farm life became a natural for Doris. Early in her life, as the oldest of five children, she was first to help her father with the farming chores. She helped her mother tend the smaller brothers and sister while they did chores and fieldwork. She helped her family exist during the Great Depression and drought of the 30’s. During the war years when most farm boys went to the service, she became her father’s helper, learning most phases of the field work, enduring many days of hard labor. From picking cotton on her knees, to “shocking” or propping up feed bundles, to grinding silage for cattle feed, Doris was enlisted to do it all.
Doris married Wilbert Bernard Block in 1947 and as they proudly proclaimed, began their married lives with only a dime in his pocket, and lived until 1951, in a small house just north of their current home, where Doris continued to live until her death. In March of 1949 Diana was born followed by Michael and Jean Ann in the following three years. She planted gardens and fruit trees, and preserved and canned the produce. Chickens were a major staple for 53 continuous years. Milking cows, selling eggs and cream, sewing and quilting were all a part of her daily life. She was a farm wife who stomped and packed cotton in the trailers, and hauled trailers full of cotton and maize to the gins and elevators. She even convinced her grandchildren it was fun to “stomp” cotton in the trailers! She did hoeing, spraying of weeds, chopped and sprayed her nemesis, “Johnson grass”, riding four-wheelers, and delivering fuel, food, and tractor parts to her husband. She could change a flat tire on any trailer, and butcher 50 chickens at a time for the family to eat. Not many people could match Doris’ sharp shooting. She could hold a flash light in one hand, a 22 rifle in the other and shoot any varmint desperate enough to try and eat her chicken eggs.
She was truly a dedicated farmer’s wife. She was quite the fixer. She mended busted pipes (with rubber inner-tubes), built shelves, and did minor repairs while Wilbert was in the fields. She was also quite the investigator. One afternoon when one of the grandchildren called her in distress that they had seen a rattlesnake under a bush, she investigated and then exclaimed that the snake had left the yard. When asked how she knew that fact, she replied, “Why I saw two snake tracks in the dirt, one coming and one going.” We never questioned why it couldn’t be two snakes coming into the yard! Doris seemed to be blessed with a keen since of reasoning and common sense. Persistence was her companion.
In 1957 on a tour of drought stricken areas, the President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower made a visit to San Angelo and the Block farm. Promoting natural fiber, Doris made herself and the three children 100% cotton clothing to wear that January morning. When necessary, Doris used chicken feed sacks to make some of her children’s clothing. She sewed all of their clothes for many years.
Promoting community was a passion for Doris. She was active in school, church and community through the years. As a youth in the 1940’s, she was a member of St. Ambrose Church Choir and Children of Mary Sodality. Active in church life, with a combined 160 years of service, Doris had been a religious education teacher, member of Sacred Heart Cathedral Choir and Holy Angels Choir, Altar Society, Charter Member of the Catholic Daughters being an active member for over 55 years, and on the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, holding many offices in each. She helped with funeral meals, St. Ann’s sewing circle, and church festivals. Other activities involved the 4-H programs. Her many years of service included being a 4-H project judge and club leader. She was a project leader in sewing, cooking, public speaking, rifle, Share-The-Fun, and method demonstration, coaching two teams to first place in State 4-H Round-Up in Civil Defense and Safety. Doris was a member in the Extension Homemakers, PTA, and San Angelo Symphony Chorale. She has supported the home for girls, food drives and supported the Cancer Society and Relay for Life and many other worthy causes. Doris promoted and worked with the Mayor proclaiming the “White Ribbon” anti-pornography campaign in its earliest years and continued to fight that campaign as long as she was able. In 2004 she was named the Conservation Homemaker of the Year for Tom Green County, the District, and Area II Soil and Water Conservation Districts. She was named one of three Outstanding Women of San Angelo in 2010. Doris was most recently honored with the Papal Award from Pope Benedict XVI receiving the diploma of the Papal Order of St Gregory the Great for her good service given to the church and the Diocese for many years. She therefore is entitled to be called “Dame Doris Block”.
Doris was a natural historian. She was co-author of the Schwartz Family History Book. Coming from a large family, she loved her 53 first cousins. This added to Wilbert’s 103 first cousins, has made her life full of family history, gatherings, reunions and a lot of laughter. She always felt that knowing her past was a bond that brought her family together. She cherished and shared family photos with others. She helped edit a family cookbook and the Block Family History Book. She served as treasurer and committee member of the Tom Green County Historical Preservation League. She spent 16 years researching, fund soliciting, and compiling the two volume Tom Green County History-Chronicles of Our Heritage book. Through the efforts of Doris, 45 pages with 47 photos were submitted for the farm and ranch section of the book. All total she wrote 70 stories on water and soil conservation, cotton gins, weather histories, one room schools, churches, family stories and the drought of the 1950’s. Many of these stories would have not been recorded, known only to a few local people soon to be gone, and lost for all future generations if it had not been for the efforts and years of persistence in her works. This book is priceless in preserving the history of Tom Green County.
Doris had been fighting a battle with Parkinson’s for 11 years. Her frail body gave the casual observer no clue to the dedication and quality of life she had contributed to this community and its youth. She holds no diploma other than high school, was unable to finish college, was never employed outside the home, lived a simple life, but preserved a quality of life so rare to many. Our wish is for people not to remember her in her frail state, but as she was years ago when she made her choices to make a difference.
Doris was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Wilbert Bernard Block, her parents Otto and Martha Havel Schwartz; parents-in-law Paul J. Block and Hattie Matthiesen Block; her great grandchildren Kason Heise and Sam Wilson; brother Harvey Schwartz; brothers-in-law Weldon Kocich, Howard Gray and Lester Dahlberg; sisters-in-law, Jo Schwartz, Carmen Block, Sue Block and Sister Pauline Block OSB;
She is survived by her three children: Diana Huling and husband Marshall, Michael Block and wife Melanie, Jean Ann LeGrand and husband Robert, all of San Angelo.
Her grandchildren and great grandchildren include: Diana’s family: Danya Martin and husband Mike and children Marshall and Garrett of San Antonio, Justin Huling and wife Brooke and children John, Reid and Dylan of Cedar Park, and Lindsay Fillinger and husband Nathan and children Brady, Kinley and Kayden of Castroville. Michael’s family: Jeremy Block and Emma Reyes and children Isabelle Block, Junior, Mikey and Sebastian Melchor of San Antonio, Jennifer Wilson and husband Shane and children Matthew, Lily and Hannah of San Angelo, Neil Block of San Angelo, Nathan Block and wife Shawna and daughters Audrey, Clara and Evelyn of Whitney. Jean Ann’s family: Jill Heise and husband Brooks and children Katelin and Carson of Lubbock, Jared Hohensee and wife Kelsey and children Lyla and Pierce of Austin, Jamon Hohensee and wife Angela and daughter Hannah of Midland, Doug and Jennifer LeGrand and Hampton of Ft Worth, Rob LeGrand of San Angelo, and Clay LeGrand of Austin.
She is survived by brothers and sister: Jerome Schwartz of San Angelo, Kenneth Schwartz and wife Bernice of Wall, Mary Louise Dahlberg of San Angelo; sisters-in-law Gladys Gray of Chula Vista, CA, Frances Kocich of Wall; brothers-in-law Andrew Block of San Angelo, and James Block and wife Lillian of Olfen. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews and first cousins.
A Rosary Service will be held at Holy Angels Church at 7:00 PM on Friday April 15 with visitation in the church hall to follow. Funeral Mass will be Saturday April 16 at 10:00 AM at Saint Ambrose Catholic Church with burial in St. Ambrose Catholic Church Cemetery in Wall, Texas.
Pallbearers will be grandsons; Jeremy Block, Neil Block, Nathan Block, Jared Hohensee Jamon Hohensee and Justin Huling. Honorary Pallbearers will be the remaining grandchildren.
The family would like to thank all the loving hands of care by her caregivers and Hospice of San Angelo.
In lieu of flowers Memorials may be made to the Matthiesen Seminary Burse:
Matthiesen Heritage Association Seminary Burse
Catholic Diocese of San Angelo
P.O. Box 1829
San Angelo, Texas 76902
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