Doris Jean (Wyss) Bartolacci passed away at home on June 16, 2023 at the age of 81 from COVID, after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease.  As with every other facet of her life, she endured her illness with quiet grace and dignity and remained a source of joy to all who her knew her to the very end.

A resident of Columbia since 1967, Doris was born in Mexico, MO on December 1, 1941 to George and Leora (Blackburn) Wyss. She graduated from Auxvasse High School in 1959 as their class Valedictorian.

After graduation, she worked for KRCG in Jefferson City. She continued to work there until a fortuitous blind date in July 1960 with a sailor named Ed Bartolacci. They married on February 26, 1961. They moved to Florida where Ed was stationed and upon his discharge in 1962, they moved back to Auxvasse where they started their family. Doris gave birth to three sons during their time in Auxvasse.

Doris was an expert typist and opened a home based business named Columbia Typing Service in the early 1970's. All three of her boys cherished her skills when they had to turn in term papers at school. As the boys grew older and more self-reliant, she went to work at the Boone County Prosecutor's office as a secretary in 1974.

That experience led to her next job at Shelter Insurance where she worked from 1977 until her retirement in 2004.

Doris was a warm, loving and beautiful person who was cherished by everyone who had the good fortune to have known her.  For her children and grandchildren, she was a constant reminder that, no matter how hard things might seem, there was love and goodness in the world.  It is a rare person about whom no one can recall a single bad thing after they are gone.  She was such a person.  Her absence will be keenly felt by those whose lives she enriched.

She is survived by her husband Ed, her sons: Mike (Denise) of St. Louis, MO, Kevin (Courtney) of Columbia, MO, and Mark of Columbia, MO. In addition, she had 9 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

All 9 grandchildren will serve as honorary pallbearers. Those 9 grandchildren are: Channing Luden, Sean Bartolacci, Michelle Bartolacci, Jessica Ponder, Julia Moore, Olivia Reichert, Giovanni Bartolacci, Cameron Bartolacci and Brian Bartolacci.

She is preceded in death by both her parents, a brother and a sister, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

We mourn Doris's passing, but most of all, we rejoice that we were privileged to have had the time we shared with her.  We invite you to join us in celebrating her amazing life on June 20, 2023 at Arnold Funeral Home in Mexico, MO. The visitation will begin at 10 AM and the Service at 11 AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Central Missouri Humane Society.