Doris Hook Hall

Doris (Birky) Hook Hall, 97, of Carmel, Indiana, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at Bridgewater Healthcare Center in Carmel. She was born February 25, 1929, in Kouts, Indiana, a daughter of Benjamin and Leah (Bechler)

Birky, and grew up in Porter County near Valparaiso. Her sister, Lulu, was her only sibling and her closest friend, and the two lived near one another throughout their lives. Doris graduated from Boone Grove High School in 1947 and from Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana, in 1954, where she began what became a lifelong career in nursing.

On September 15, 1955, she married Joseph Hook of Crown Point, Indiana, who spent his working life as a steelworker and retired from U.S. Steel in Gary. They made their home in Valparaiso and moved to Paoli, Indiana, after they retired. They shared 49 years together before his death on October 12, 2004. Doris later moved to Goshen, and on September 8, 2007, she married Herman Hall, who passed away in 2018.

Doris became a registered nurse and spent many years at Porter Memorial Hospital, where she went on to serve as director of nursing. She returned to school to become a nurse practitioner and finished her career with the Porter County Department of Health, retiring in 1994.

She was a lifelong member of the Mennonite church community, singing in the choir, playing the piano, and teaching Sunday school. She was a member of Hopewell Mennonite Church in Kouts, a founding member of Valparaiso Mennonite Church, and, after moving to Goshen, a member of Clinton Frame Church.

Doris was fiercely independent. She sang in community groups and gave her time to causes around her. She read constantly and never turned down a puzzle or a crossword. Her Christmas gifts were quirky, unusual, and reliably made everyone laugh. In later years her game was Farkle, and she was easily the best player in the family, regularly beating everyone who sat down against her.

She is survived by her children, Dana (Stephanie) Hook of Dickinson, North Dakota, and Dawn (Troy) Hook-Brake of Noblesville, Indiana; her grandchildren, Jacob Hook, Matthew Hook, Delaney (Nate) Meyer-Brake, Hallie Brake, and Mia Brake; and her great-grandchildren, Makayla Hook, Delaney Hook, and Hudson Meyer.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Benjamin and Leah Birky; her husbands, Joseph Hook and Herman Hall; her infant sons, Harry and Larry; and her sister, Lulu Birky.

A private family service will be held. Doris will be laid to rest beside Joe at Graceland Cemetery in Valparaiso, Indiana.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Goshen Home Care and Hospice, https://goshenhealth.com/about/foundation

She passed away on September 15, seventy-one years to the day after she and Joe were married.

Condolences: www.randallroberts.com