Doris Stoffregen ’56 Latham

Doris S. Latham (nee Stoffregen), 88, a retired librarian formerly of Ramsey, NJ, died on August 4th in Bartonsville, PA after a short illness.

Doris leaves behind four children, Beth Latham ’81 Confrancisco, Susan Latham ’84 (David Meschter), Lisa Latham, and William Latham as well as four grandchildren, Jennifer Confrancisco Hills (Gordon Hills), Catherine Confrancisco, Jacob Meschter, and Tierney Latham, and a sister, Lucille Stoffregen. Doris was predeceased by her husband, the Rev. William H. Latham, Jr.

Doris attended Hope College in Holland, MI and graduated with a BS in Biology. She worked at Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, NJ while her husband attended the New Brunswick Theological Seminary before they settled into first Staten Island, NY and then Guttenberg, NJ, where Rev. Latham was the minister of the First Reformed Church of Guttenberg until his sudden death in 1967. Doris attended Pratt Institute in New York City and received her Master’s Degree in Library Science while acting as librarian at Robert Fulton School in North Bergen, NJ.

She raised her four children in Guttenberg, NJ while working full time. During her tenure in the North Bergen School system, she also served as a Media Specialist at North Bergen High School, then at Horace Mann School. In the late 1980s, she transferred to Westwood High School and moved from Guttenberg, NJ to Ramsey, NJ. During her years in Ramsey, Doris was active at St. John’s Episcopal Church, the Friends of the Ramsey Library, and the Old Stone House. A lifelong devotee of Charles Dickens, Doris was a member of several Dickens appreciation societies and led the local chapter in Rockland County, NY.

She also regularly attended various retired teacher organization functions for both North Bergen and Bergen County. She moved to Bartonsville, PA to live with her daughter Lisa in 2021 and will be remembered as a loved and respected mother, sister, friend, and mentor to many people in many areas of life.