Doris Kramer, 102, the first woman to serve on the Mennonite Board of Missions, the mission agency of the Mennonite Church, died May 20 in St. Jacobs, Ont.

Born Doris Miller on July 10, 1923, in Richards, Iowa, she moved to Pennsylvania as a teenager. There she met Raymond L. Kramer, and they married in 1944. In 1958, the couple and their seven children moved to Canada, where Raymond became pastor at St. Jacobs Mennonite Church. After Raymond’s death in 1962, she raised their family with deep faith and community support while pursuing further education.

After graduating from Conestoga College in 1975, she worked as a social worker with Family and Children’s Services. At St. Jacobs Mennonite Church, she served on the church council and was known for asking courageous questions, challenging narrow thinking and building friendships.

In 1972 she was the first woman appointed to the Mennonite Board of Missions, a predecessor of Mennonite Mission Network. Serving until 1980, she helped shape the church’s vision for international service and peacemaking.

She hosted international visitors in her home, spoke in churches across Canada and beyond and visited women in prison. In the final decade of her life, she sewed 4,753 bags for Mennonite Central Committee relief kits.

Survivors include seven children, 20 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.