Doris B. James

Doris James Obituary Doris Elaine Brown James was born on August 13, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio to Tenus Brown and Mattie Reid Brown. She was the youngest of seven siblings and the only sibling born in Cleveland, Ohio. Doris was preceded in death by her siblings; Tenus Brown Jr, Cora Brown, Lucia Brown, Mary Brown Ferris, Irving Brown, and Eugene Brown all born in Clemson, South Carolina. Doris attended Cleveland Public Schools including Fairmount Jr. High School and Glenville High School. She received a full Harry N. Irwin Scholarship to Flora Stone Mather College of Western Reserve University, (now Case Western Reserve University). In 1946 she graduated, magna cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. She completed the four-year curriculum in 2 years and 9 months. She continued her matriculation at Western Reserve University and earned her Master of Arts Degree in Supervision and Administration in 1947. She is a proud Diamond member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority pledging at Western Reserve University in 1945. Doris met the love of her life, Harry James Sr., while teaching at Columbia Elementary School where his children, from a previous marriage, attended. Following a few parent/teacher conferences and a two-year courtship, they were married on March 17, 1951. They were blessed with 46 years of marriage until Harry’s passing on May 20, 1997. Doris began her teaching career with Cleveland Public School system in 1947 and received special assignments each with increasing responsibility. Doris taught major work and enrichment at Lafayette, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Wade Park elementary schools. She worked as Assistant Principal at Charles Chestnut, Washington Irving and Charles Lake Elementary Schools. In 1964, she achieved her career goal of becoming a principal and was assigned to Sterling Elementary. She was also principal at William Cullen Bryant, Williard, Gracemount and Emile B. DeSauze elementary schools. She received numerous awards and recognition throughout her career. She was a member of Phi Delta Kappa Honor Sorority. Doris was one of several key principals assigned to Cleveland’s West Side elementary schools which were segregated at that time. As she led early desegregation efforts in the sixties, she was frequently faced with racism in the form of threats and violence to school and personal property. She had the reputation of being a no-nonsense administrator who gave her teachers the tools they needed to be successful. A highly effective turnaround leader and change agent, Doris was often placed in the most difficult school environments because of her ability to improve test scores, address student behavior and increase parent-teacher involvement. Doris had several mantras that included “Always present your best work” and” Make your first impressions memorable”. She often stated that an educator is a visualizer of life and a mere merchant of facts. Doris tried to be available to help others with any questions and never missed an opportunity to teach, especially grammar. She was proud of her educational footprint in the lives of young children she positively impacted. Following her retirement in 1989, Doris lovingly cared for her ailing husband Harry. She continued her passion of teaching by coaching friends and family in the areas of education, real estate and investing. She enjoyed helping Harry manage Benwood Square Beverage, overseeing their financial portfolio and being the Landlord of their real estate investment properties. Doris was an avid sports enthusiast and, in her youth, enjoyed bowling, playing softball and horseback riding. In her later years, she loved watching and cheering for the Indians (now the Guardians), the Cavaliers and the Browns. Until her health declined, she played bridge and scrabble regularly. She also liked her daily crossword puzzles that she proudly completed in ink. Doris relocated to St. Petersburg, FL in 2017 where she lived 10 minutes from family and enjoyed a full and independent life. In 2018, at the ripe age of 93, she was a panelist and introduced the Denzel Washington movie “Antwone Fisher” to a packed crowd at Westminster Suncoast Retirement Community. The movie captured Antwone’s challenging childhood marked by family abuse that was revealed by Doris’s relentless pursuit of Social Worker involvement. Antwone Fisher, Desmond Howard and Ron “SuperFly” O’Neal were just a few of her former elementary students who gained national recognition. Although the last 3 years of life presented more physical challenges, her capacity to enjoy concerts, dine out, sing Johnny Mathis songs and watch soap operas never waned. She loved the sunshine, warmth and eating outside in Florida, year-round. She was grateful for every act of kindness and was delighted by daily visits and phone calls from family and friends. One of her later in life thrills was receiving an autographed handkerchief from her musical idol Johnny Mathis, during a concert she attended in 2023 in Clearwater, Fl. On January 12, 2025, Doris a mother, grandmother and great grandmother, aunt, great aunt, Godmother and teacher, gained her wings, at St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, after a brief illness. Doris leaves to cherish her memory her devoted daughter, Valerie Catchings (Glenn), and stepson Harry James (Willa), grandchildren Amanda Klaiber (Gordon), Tony Catchings, Natalie Harris (Ernie), Yvette James, Vashon James (Sheron), Robert Freeman (Maria) and Taunja Olabisi, niece Patricia Brown, and Godson Robert Higginbotham. She was predeceased by her stepdaughter, Harriet Freeman. In addition to her other relatives, former students and colleagues. her lifelong friend, Margaret Higginbotham, also cherishes her memory. Her best friend, Gwendolyn Johnson and Godson Eric Johnson, both predeceased her. Her life was immeasurably enriched by an extraordinary group of loving supporters and caregivers. All allowed her to remain in her own home until her passing. Loving family members checked in regularly when Doris resided in Shaker Heights, Ohio. But a special thanks to Harry and Willa James, Anthony Perry, Norman James, Brenda Shephard, Melvin Weaver and Greg Sardon who provided regular support before Doris moved to Florida. In St. Petersburg, her life was greatly enriched by her Florida family and friends and loving caregivers: Barbara Watson, Yvette Lazard, Felicia Williams, Monica Garcia and Betty Johnson. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Doris B. James, please visit our floral store. Read More

Doris B. James

January 1, 1753