Lasting Memories

Doris Abbott-Nall
Nov. 1, 1921-Aug. 4, 2018
Portola Valley, California

Doris Abbott-Nall passed away on August 4, 2018, at the Sequoias Health Center in Portola Valley. Born in Corning, California in 1921, Doris grew up in the Sacramento Valley before coming to the east Bay at the age of 13 to work as an au pair. She attended Richmond High School and the University of California at Berkeley, graduating in 1943 with a Bachelor’s degree in French. For several years she was a schoolteacher, teaching children of people who had come west during WWII to work in the east Bay shipyards. In 1945 she married Mr. John A. Abbott of Knoxville, Tennessee, with whom she had three sons from 1949 to 1955. After several years in the New York City area, Doris and her family moved out to the San Francisco peninsula, residing in Ladera from 1955 to 2004. Active with the P.T.A., the Ladera Recreation District, the Ladera Community Church, parent support groups at La Entrada and Woodside High, and other organizations, she also served for 25 years as a volunteer I.C.U. receptionist at Stanford Hospital. An avid lover of music and sports, she sang in the Ladera Church choir, was a patron of the San Francisco Symphony, swam competitively with the Rinconada Masters, and enjoyed hiking and camping. Most important, though, was her commitment to her family. Doris’s husband John Abbott passed away in 1990. In 1994, Doris married Mr. James R. Nall, a Bay Area computer scientist. The couple continued to live in Ladera until 2004, when they moved to the Sequoias in Portola Valley. There Doris continued to be active in a variety of organizations, and won the affection of everyone who knew her. She is survived by her husband James Nall, her sons J. Anthony Abbott (Christie) of Stockton, California, William Abbott of Milford, Connecticut, Robert Abbott (Susan) of Cedar Falls, Iowa, her stepson Blaine Nall (Jenny) of San Mateo County, and four grandchildren. Details of the memorial service will be provided later.