Doris M. Reding 1928-2002

REDING, KUHN, MERKLER

Posted By: Lori Clark (email)
Date: 10/9/2002 at 15:25:08

Doris M. Reding, of 1100 University Manor B-25 in Fairfield, died on August 8th at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City.

A memorial mass and celebration of her life will be held on Tuesday, August 13, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church, 404 N. 3rd Street in Fairfield, with Reverend Stephen Page presiding. A reception and light supper with family members will follow the service in Decoursy Hall.

Ms. Reding was born on February 14, 1928, in Irvington, New Jersey. She graduated from Union High School in 1945 and from Syracuse University in 1949. She received her teaching certification from Kean College in New Jersey in 1959 and her master’s degree from St. Peters College in Jersey City in 1985.

Ms. Reding was a lifelong educator who taught for 30 years in Connecticut Farms School in Union, New Jersey. In her final year of teaching she received the New Jersey Governor’s Award for excellence in teaching. She taught a full range of students, from gifted to learning disabled, and spearheaded the movement to bring computers into the school, teaching programming to both students and parents. She pioneered interactive classroom learning, integrating music, films, extensive field trips, and interdisciplinary education into her classes. An accomplished musician, she also served as piano accompanist for the school plays at Connecticut Farms.

Ms. Reding was deeply committed to world peace and to spiritual growth. She was a member of Amnesty International, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the New Jersey Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE), the American Civil Liberties Union, the Sierra Club, and many other organizations, where she was active in social causes for the betterment of society

After her retirement in 1990, she moved to Fairfield, Iowa, where she lived for 12 years. She was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and, as a longtime practitioner of Transcendental Meditation, she participated in knowledge programs at Maharishi University of Management.

She is survived by a sister, Irene Kominek, of Bergenfield, New Jersey; a daughter, Elaine Reding, of Fairfield Iowa; a daughter and son-in-law, Carolyn and Philip Fuhrman, of Wilmington, Delaware; and three grandchildren, Jesse, David, and Samuel Fuhrman, also of Wilmington.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Angela Merkler, and by her son James.