Doris L. Szarek, age 80, of Dougherty Rd, Meshoppen, PA (Auburn Center), passed away on Friday Morning, September 26, 2025, at home with her loving family by her side.

Doris was born in Morristown, NJ, on June 19, 1945, the daughter of the late Ralph P. Richards (d. August 2, 2009) and Julia Chamberlain Richards (d. October 29, 2001). She was a graduate of the Hackettstown High School with the class of 1963. On July 26, 1980, she married her husband, the late Joseph S. Szarek, Sr. (d. March 21, 2016). For many years, Doris and her family lived in New Jersey, and in Florida, before moving to Auburn Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, in 1988.

Doris spent most of her time as a homemaker while her husband Joe was on the road as a truck driver. As a homemaker, Doris enjoyed baking, crafting, and gardening, particularly planting a diverse array of flowers. In her free time, Doris enjoyed reading and working on Sudoku and Crossword puzzle books. In her later years, she loved receiving family photos of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, which she absolutely adored.

She is survived by her children, Don Paul and his wife Suzanne Todd, of Alpha, NJ; Joseph "Shane" and his wife Chrissy Szarek, of North Richland Hills, TX; and Tracy Szarek, of Auburn Center, PA; her grandchildren, Daniel and wife Jennifer Todd, of Gallivant's Ferry, SC; Travis Todd, of Bend, OR, Amanda Todd,  Andrew and his wife Kira Hendricks, and Alicia Todd, all of Phillipsburg, NJ; and her great-grandchildren, Timothy and Mikyla Todd, Savannah Kuhla, Rowen and Finley Hendricks, and Matthew, Oliver, and Benjamin Todd.

Besides Doris's parents and husband, she is also preceded in death by her daughter Cheryl Todd of Phillipsburg, NJ, (d. January 4, 2022) and twin granddaughters, Bianca and Samantha Todd in May of 1992.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at 11:00 AM from the Sheldon Funeral Home, 8206 Main St., Meshoppen, PA, with Rev. Gary Myers, of the Biblical Baptist Church of Meshoppen, officiating. Interment will be in the Bunnell Cemetery, in Auburn, PA. Family and friends may call at the funeral home, on Tuesday Morning at 10:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Hospice of the Sacred Heart, 30 E.D. Preate Drive, Suite 108, Moosic, PA 18507.

Online condolences may be made at www.sheldonfuneralhomes.com