Doris Arnett

Doris Louise Arnett, 53, of Mountain Home, died Nov. 22, 2007, at a Boise hospital, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Private services will be conducted at a later date. Cremation was under the direction of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel.

Doris was born on May 5, 1954, in Townsend, Mont., to Albert E. "Bud" Arnett and Vera (Ramspeck) Arnett. She was raised in Townsend and attended Broadwater County schools. Following her high school graduation in 1972, she attended Montana State University.

Doris enlisted in the US Air Force in 1975. She chose a non-traditional career field for a woman and trained at Chanute AFB in Illinois as a missile maintenance technician. She was assigned to Minot AFB in North Dakota, where she met her best friend, Jackie (Ricord) Pilkington. In 1979, she continued to forge new ground professionally and cross-trained in aircraft maintenance at Sheppard AFB in Texas. Over the years, she was stationed at Homestead AFB in Florida, Eglin AFB in Florida, Okinawa AFB in Japan, Holloman AFB in New Mexico, Incirlik AFB in Turkey, and Mountain Home AFB. In addition, her travels took her through the Azores, Venezuela, the Philippines, Germany, Canada (Cold Lake), and Korea. In 1996, she won the prestigious General Lew Allen Jr. Trophy (Enlisted Category) for Air Combat Command.

In 1997, Doris retired from the Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant, after 22 years and 6 months of service.

She worked briefly at Micron in Boise.

In 1998, she started her second career, working as a Maintenance Mechanic for the U.S. Post Office, in Boise. Doris retired from the USPS in June 2007.

Doris was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star (Esther Chapter No. 3) for 34 years.

In the last few years, Doris became an avid Boise State Football fan. Doris also had a passion for motorcycling, gardening, camping, and all things orange.

Doris is survived by: two brothers, Duane (Judy) of Hilliard, Ohio, and David of Townsend, Mont., two nieces, a grand-niece, a grand-nephew, lifelong friends Jackie and Roger Pilkington of Tucson, Ariz., and her two beloved cats, Rusty and Pumpkin.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Dennis.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to: Patient Support Fund at MSTI (Mountain States Tumor Institute), 190 Bannock, Boise, ID, 83712 or Townsend United Methodist Church, 200 North Cedar St, Townsend, MT 59644.