Doris Ace

Doris Jean (Vanderlip) Ace, a lifelong resident of the Triple Cities for 89 blessed years, peacefully became our angel after a beautifully full and spirited life with beloved family and cherished friends. She was born in Endicott, NY during the first year of the Great Depression, the daughter of Ethel Harrington and William Vanderlip, and often marveled at the changes she witnessed in the world over the course of her life. She spent her childhood years getting into mischief with her dear and lifelong girlfriends who called themselves the VVV club (Veni, Vidi, Vici – I came, I saw, I conquered) and was named the student with the prettiest fingernails at UE High School, class of 1947 (but would often quip she must have been mistakenly switched with the student who was named smartest). She met her adored husband Russell Grant Ace jitterbugging at the Johnson City Pavilion after he returned home from service with the US Navy during WWII. She greatly enjoyed a rewarding career of 35 years at the AAA in Endicott, but her proudest achievement was raising her two precious daughters, whose lives she peppered with witticisms and adventure. Her three grandchildren were the bright lights in her life, with whom she treasured every moment, whether it was taking them on their first visit to the Big Apple, playing pranks like painting her grandson’s toenails red while he slept, or singing Frank Sinatra in the backseat on road trips. She was a lifelong member of First United Methodist Church of Endicott, where she walked down the aisle as a glowing bride, celebrated baptisms, taught Sunday School and cherished worship services, especially the Christmas Eve candlelight sing-along. She loved eating ice cream for one (or multiple) meals, never watched a Judge Judy episode she didn’t like, and made friends with nearly every stranger she met. At the age of 84, she walked the red carpet in Hollywood as a Gracie Award recipient for her work as “Undercover Grandma” with the ABC News Investigative Unit, a shining moment in her life. She is predeceased by her husband Russell and brother Kenneth Vanderlip. She is survived by daughters Patricia Barno (Michael) and Sandra Ace, grandchildren Megan Christie (Chad), Jeffrey Barno (Julia), and Ryan Chuchmach (Joanna), great-granddaughters Dori and Shayna Rose, special cousins Mark Schild and Dawne Gould and niece Marlene Furda, son-in-law Greg Chuchmach and her much-loved furry companion Abby. She loved her life so very much that she would often say “I wish I had it to live all over again.” Her last song was fittingly Sinatra’s “The Best is Yet to Come.
Visitation will be held Friday from 1-2 pm at Allen Memorial Home in Endicott, with a service to celebrate her life immediately following. In lieu of flowers, she would have loved donations to UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, or Project Paw animal shelter.