Doris Kormendy, daughter of Joseph "Joe" and Sophia (Dobus) Zambo, was born May 26, 1924. As a youth, she attended West Ryan School and also tended to her siblings' needs when her mother died suddenly. She learned her homemaker skills by trial and error. She gleaned a sense of accomplishment in mastering the baking of angel food cake from scratch and using the wood burning cook stove. She continued to use the skills learned from watching her mother. Those gifts of sewing, flower and vegetable gardening and cooking delicious meals were shared with her family, many neighbors and friends.
She married Kalman Kormendy on Nov. 9, 1948, living on a farm nearby in the rural Selby area. To their union was born a daughter, Charlotte. They continued farming, planting multiple grains, raising pigs, chickens, geese and milking cows until his death. By fall, Doris moved to Aberdeen to be closer to her daughter, son-in-law, Donnie Bachman, and her grandchildren, Audrey and Chad.
She worked outside the home for the first time getting a job at a greenhouse. She then went to work for Avera St. Luke's Hospital as a cleaning lady, keeping in touch with friends near and far. Upon retirement, she entered another occupation. She assisted with the opening of the Aberdeen Wal-Mart store, where she worked as a greeter. She enjoyed meeting new friends from all walks of life. She was known for her humor and knowledge about flowers and gardening. The highlight of those working years was meeting Mr. Sam Walton, not once but twice.
In those same years, she traveled throughout the U.S. and Canada on bus tours. She was a member of the Friends of the Brown County fair, taking tickets to the grandstand shows.
Early in 2012, she moved to Brookings to be with her daughter and son-in-law, Roland, as well as her two grandchildren's families and their children. All together for family gatherings and Roland's family in Brookings, that made 19. When her health began failing, she moved to the supportive and compassionate care of both the United Living Center and the Brookings Health System's home health/hospice team. At the center, she enjoyed the cats, dogs and birds as well as the numerous visits of her own cat, "Tootsie." She died peacefully Nov. 15, with her family at her side.
She was a member of St. Anthony's Catholic Church and Altar Society in Selby, and later a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Aberdeen. For the past nine months, Doris enjoyed the home visitations from several members of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Brookings.
Mrs. Kormendy is survived by Charlotte (Roland) Bachman-Couser; granddaughter, Audrey (Jody) Kress; their children, Zachary and Brenna; grandson Chad (Tina) Bachman; their children, Brody, Gavin and Griffin; two brothers: Art Zambo of Spearfish and Densley Zambo of Conde; and one sister, Olga Maack of Watertown.
Doris is preceded in death by her husband on April 12, 1975; son-in-law, Donnie, on June 7, 2005; father, on Feb. 15, 1979; mother, on July 21, 1930; two brothers; one sister and twin siblings in infancy.