Doris Kay Paschke

Doris Kay (Goetz) Paschke, 87, of Blue Earth, Minnesota, passed away at United Hospital (UHD) in Blue Earth on Saturday, November 7, 2026. A public visitation will be held at Patton Funeral Home in Blue Earth on Tuesday, November 24 at 10 AM, followed by a memorial service at 11 AM.

Doris was born in Swea City, Iowa on July 6, 1939 to Herman and Sylvia (Balvance) Goetz, and graduated from Ledyard High School with the class of 1957. Tall and charming with a big smile, Doris was a star on the Ledyard girls’ basketball team. While roller skating with friends on Halloween in 1956, she met a blue-eyed man from Blue Earth and stole his heart. Doris and Harley Paschke were married on July 26, 1957. She worked as an administrative assistant at Schwen’s Ice Cream and KBEW local radio before becoming an insurance agent with Blue Earth State Agency, a career that gave her the opportunity to help many people over the years.

Doris and Harley were blessed with three daughters, Dawn, Tamara and Cynthia. As the girls grew up, the family started competing in Arabian horse shows, and their custom red Ta-Cin-Da jackets were known throughout the Midwest.

After they retired, Doris and Harley moved to Arizona and then multiple stops in Missouri before they returned to Blue Earth in 2009. Family was always at the heart of Doris’s life, and there was nothing she loved more than spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She treasured watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren play sports, cheering them on and celebrating their accomplishments. She loved sharing stories and reminiscing about her own childhood, passing along memories and laughter with each generation. Doris also took great pride in her home and loved showing off her many treasures and antiques, sharing the stories behind the special pieces she had collected over the years.

Along the way, Doris engaged in her passion for restoring old houses and antiquing. She always managed to find a house project or three. From wallpapering and remodeling interiors, to refinishing furniture, Doris left homes in better shape than she found them. Additionally, her remarkable and ever-growing collection of antiques was sourced from many weekends traveling to antique shows, and she had a special fondness for Red Wing stoneware, Watt Pottery and depression glass. At home, when she wasn’t working on a house project or gardening, Doris was baking, and her family always looked forward to her homegrown rhubarb crisp.

Doris was a devoted and lifelong Christian. Her strong faith sustained her through a three-year battle with cancer. Through it all, she never lost her lively sense of humor, and the nurses at the hospital were often laughing by the end of her appointments.

Doris Paschke is lovingly remembered by her three daughters: Dawn Paschke of Wells, Tami (Mike) Hoffman of Wayzata, and Cindy Driscoll of Blue Earth; her grandchildren: Rachael (Tim) Mitchell, Emily (Jeff) Long, Dan (Alecia) Driscoll, Mitchel (Caitlin) Hoffman, Camille (Jordan) Derfus, and Matthew (Lillie) Hoffman; as well as nine great-grandchildren: Aliya, Adelyn, Owen, and Oliver Mitchell, Paisley, Laker and Mack Driscoll, and Lennyn and Millie Derfus; and her constant companion, cat Fluffy.

She goes to God’s Heavenly Kingdom to be reunited with Harley, her beloved husband of 63 years. She is additionally preceded in death by her parents, Herman and Sylvia Goetz; her brothers, Roger and Jim Goetz; her sister, Janis Bratton, and her son-in-law, Daniel Driscoll.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the American Cancer Society and the Alzheimer's Association .