Doris Elaine Cassil Schulse
11/21/1930 - 10/8/2024

Doris Elaine Cassil Schulse, born November 21, 1930, passed away peacefully at her home in Kerrville, TX, surrounded by her loving family, on October 8, 2024. A native Houstonian, she grew up in the Denver Harbor neighborhood and graduated from Reagan High School and Rice University, Class of 1953, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She met her beloved husband of 73 years, Carl, at Rice. They started a family and moved to the Meyerland area in Houston where they lived for 61 years. Doris and Carl were long-time members of Bellaire United Methodist Church and St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston and First Presbyterian Church in Kerrville. In her final years, Doris loved to listen to Alan Jackson’s gospel music. Doris and Carl retired to Kerrville in 2015 to be near their treasured Hole-in-the-Wall ranch in West Kerr County where many family memories were made. The Texas Hill Country was their home away from home, a welcome respite from the stress of city life.

Doris was beloved by her family and friends for so many reasons. She was especially known for her kindness, generosity, loyalty and candor. She would “tell it like it was.” She was the most adventurous, fun and loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. An avid gardener, birder, reader and lover of Texas history, she could quote facts and trivia, identify hundreds of birds and plants, and entertain a group with stories about Texas. As a proud Texan, Doris became a conservationist and a proponent of native plants and grasses long before those passions were popular-- often making a game for the kids of picking up trash at camp sites or other special places she might have taken them to for an adventure. She was the epitome of “Keep Texas Beautiful.”

Doris loved to drive, especially with a carload full of captive kids. She drove on every road in the Hill Country, searching for an interesting plant or hidden spring, pointing out wildlife, explaining geology and teaching all of us to love and cherish the land. She called her adventures “razoos.” One such razoo involved the cousins. A trip from a vacation cottage near Hunt to experience the outdoor theater at Ingram found us in the middle of a flashflood. Her solution to find out whether a low water crossing was passable was to tie a rope to the front of the car and around 10-year-old son Dan’s waist. He was then challenged to walk into the raging water to gage the depth. He knew how to swim and survived. Yes, we made it to the theater. We thought nothing of it. That was Doris. As a grandmother, the razoos continued when she introduced another generation to the wonders of nature, to Texas and to the broader world.

Doris and Carl loved to travel—family road trips to Colorado and all over Texas with extended family, rafting/camping in Idaho, trips in the US and abroad with sisters and brothers-in-law, children and grandchildren. Eventually, when sister Carolyn moved across the street from their home in Kerrville, the “three amigos,” as they were fondly called, continued to travel and explore the world.

She is survived by husband, Carl H. Schulse and children, Sally Schulse, of Richardson; Daniel Cassil Schulse and wife Sue, of Kerrville; Lynn Schulse Plummer and husband Mike, of Kerrville; grandchildren, Danny Lopez, Caroline Lopez, Kyle Lopez; Carl Cassil Schulse, Erin Schulse Herold and husband Felix, Cory Cassil Schulse and wife Rachel; Blake Plummer, Cody Plummer and wife Caroline, Natalie Plummer Redmon and husband Lincoln; numerous great-grandchildren; sisters, Jeri Johnstone and husband Mark, of Corpus Christi; Cynthia Shoup and husband David, of Ingram; numerous nieces and their husbands and children.

She was preceded in death by parents, Willie Mae Huse Cassil and Granville Cassil; sister, Carolyn Jones and brother-in-law, Sidney Jones.

A private family celebration of life will be held in Kerrville. The family sincerely thanks all medical staff and caregivers who provided their loving and attentive care. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Texas Parks and Wildlife, www.TPWF.org.

Obituary Provided By:

www.grimesfuneralchapels.com
info@grimesfuneralchapels.com
830-257-4544