Doris Rae Brendler

MADISON - Doris R. (Roth) Brendler died on January 3, 2026. She was born on August 8, 1938, in Madison, Wis., the daughter of Olyn and Antonia (Nibler) Roth.

Doris attended Madison East High School and was united in marriage to William E. Brendler on July 20, 1956, in Madison. She was a stay-at-home mom, secretary for the Air Force recruiting office and secretary for the Naval ROTC on the UW -Madison campus until her retirement. She was a member of St. Stephen's Lutheran Church and VFW Auxiliary.

Family was important to Doris. She and William attended all of their five children’s and their eight grandchildren’s sporting events, and choir, band and orchestra concerts. She was close with all of her siblings - playing cards at each other’s house or going on trips together.

Her faith was important. She attended church regularly and served on many committees, taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, played handbells, chaperoned youth trips, and lent her support wherever needed. Attending the Capitol Christmas Pageant became a favorite annual tradition and in high school she was even one of the herald angels.

Doris played many types of games. She enjoyed card club with friends and family, euchre, crazy canasta, cribbage, solitaire, 35, and just about any game involving playing cards, marbles or dice. She liked to say that instead of being born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she was born with a deck of cards in her hand.

Mom loved to laugh and had a delightfully silly sense of humor. One of her favorite things was word play and switching letters and words around to make silly phrases or stories, like “Dincerella.” She’d ice skate and roller skate, often with a pillow tied around her waist for “extra padding,” in the event of a fall.

Doris was an avid sewer and gardener - sewing clothes, costumes, and puppets, even a Kermit-the-frog style puppet her kids used to put on shows with. She loved plants of all types, from vegetables to the potted petunias on her deck, to her gardens around the yard, to the house plants she kept thriving in the living room.

She was active in various sports throughout her life, bowling in women’s and couples’ leagues, and playing volleyball in a women’s recreational league for many years with her sisters, which eventually included some of her daughters, nieces and great-nieces.  

Doris was a faithful and devoted wife, mother, and friend.  She was affectionately known as “Mrs. B” or “Mom” to all her children’s friends. She was a mother hen and loved her flock of children, their spouses, and friends and her extended flock of all the friends and family she “adopted” along the way.

Doris is survived by her brother, Tom Roth; sister, Terri (Roth) Winans; children, Mark (Kathy), Karla (Mandi), Sue (Jeff), Tony (Nora) and Heide (Thom); grandchildren, Benjamin, Joshua (Sarah), Donovan (Kylie), Lucas, Shelby, Spencer (Synthe), Jordan, and Madison; and great-grandchild, Olive. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Bill; brother, Jim; sisters, Bunny, Pat, BJ, Jackie and Lynn; and infant daughter, Karn Sue.

A funeral service will be held at ST. STEPHEN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH, 5700 Pheasant Hill Road, Monona, Wis., at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, with Pastor Elisa Brandt presiding. A luncheon will follow the service. A visitation will be held at the church from 10 a.m. until the time of the service on Wednesday. Burial will follow the luncheon at Roselawn Memorial Park, 401 Femrite Drive, Monona.

Memorials may be made to St. Stephen's Food Pantry or Agrace HospiceCare. Doris’ family wishes to thank Agrace HospiceCare and all her family, friends, and neighbors for their care and support.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson East

Funeral & Cremation Care

5203 Monona Drive

(608) 221-5420