Doris Ann Hulse

Doris Ann Farmer Hulse, 77, of Littleton, Colorado passed away on February 28, 2012. Doris lived almost every day guided by curiosity, a trait that propelled her to expertise in so many areas of knowledge she loved – chemistry, history, genealogy, gardening, botany. She was a devoted community volunteer who helped rescue countless threads of past events and past lives so they could serve as mooring for the present. Growing up on a Kansas wheat farm and attending the tiny local school instilled her with practicality and a genuine appreciation of relationships with colleagues and friends. From her many years practicing research in laboratories, in town libraries, in church attics, and in forgotten cemeteries, there grew a patient and consistently strong approach to everything she undertook. She worked to document Littleton's churches and the congregations who had passed through them, its historical personalities, and its evolving fabric as a town. Doris was born in Sterling, Kansas in 1934 and grew up in the small town of Alden, Kansas. Alden's schools and her parents instilled a love of discovery. Even as a child of 10, she enjoyed speculating about where her family came from. Later her research found that many ancestors came from the Shenandoah Valley. (In recent years on a research trip, she was elated to discover an 18th century house in Virginia that she traced to her ancestors). She attended Sterling College for two years and met Jim Hulse at a Sterling Church, then finished a degree in analytical chemistry at the University of Kansas in 1956 and was married to Jim in Hutchinson Kansas in 1957. The couple lived in San Antonio, while he was in the service. Later in 1957 she began working as an analytical chemist at Marathon Oil Research Center in Littleton, an unusual career for a woman at that time, and continued through 1968. Her son Kurt was born in 1965. In the late 1960s, Doris worked to organize neighbors in the South Platte Valley in response to growing air pollution problems. She advocated nature-friendly development along the river and convinced many others to value that approach, which is apparent today. More recently, she got on the telephone to gather support or opposition regarding historic preservation issues on the city council agenda and wrote related letters. In the early 70s, she began genealogical research in earnest and became a professional, doing research for others and belonging to many societies in the field. She volunteered with the Colorado State Archives, Littleton Historical Museum and Littleton United Methodist Church and directed a project to compile archives of Littleton's oldest churches: St. Paul's Episcopal, St. Timothy's Episcopal, St. Mary Catholic and Littleton United Methodist Church. She served on the board of directors of Historic Littleton Inc. for many years. Some of her research is accessible in a number of the history pages on the city of Littleton's website, http://www.littletongov.org/history/default.asp A memorial service is planned at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 17 at Littleton United Methodist Church, 5894 S. Datura St., Littleton. Her husband, son and extended family are grateful that you are joining them in remembering Doris and reflecting on the many ways she helped us discover context for our lives in the community. In lieu of flowers, friends are encouraged to consider donating to Historic Littleton Inc., P.O. Box 1004, Littleton, Co 80160-1004 or Alden United Methodist Church, 305 Pioneer, Alden, KS. 67512. Please share your memories of Doris and condolences with her family by selecting the ""Sign Guestbook"" link.