Lovingston
Nelson County, Virginia
By Tommy Stafford
I can’t remember exactly when I first met Doris Drumheller. It had to be around 2005 (ish) or thereabouts. I know it was within a year or two of us moving here in for good in 2004. She was the face of Drumheller’s Orchard over in Lovingston. Doris was such a nice and pleasant lady. She was one of the first advertisers we had in our charter printed publication Nelson County Life. She stayed with us to the end in our 2013 rebranded publication Blue Ridge Life until we shuttered the print side in 2021.
Yvette said Doris was the only person she still let fax or drop-off material for ads versus electronically composing them. Doris was just so very nice. She may not have been the most internet savvy, but she was one very smart woman.
I was so saddened to hear that Doris passed away on September 5th. Not that she hadn’t already lived a very full life, she did indeed. But, just knowing she wasn’t going to be seen during the annual fall festivals at the orchard stings, a lot.
I’d compare the passing of Doris to that of the late Paul Saunders in 2022 and his wife Tatum two years later. They were all Nelson institutions for decades, long before any of us that moved to Nelson ever arrived.
The roots of Drumheller’s Orchard dates all the way back to 1937. Eventually Doris and her husband, Darrell, inherited the orchard operation in the 80s after her father in-law passed away. She continued actively working in the operation until her recent death. Her son Kevin, and other son Gary, helped man much of that operation. Gary left in 2005 the same year Doris’ husband also passed away. Kevin’s daughter, Morgan, Doris’ granddaughter, joined the operation full time in 2008 and has been running much of it nowadays in conjunction with Doris.
If you re a frequent reader of BRL here on the web, you know I often write about the passing of icons and just genuinely nice and known people here in Nelson. Doris, no doubt fits in that category.
While I will miss her, and knowing she won’t be sharing the excitement of the orchard, the fall festivals, and her generational story of getting there, I can smile in being fortunate enough to have known her for the 20 plus years we’ve made Nelson home.
Her granddaughter, Morgan, says in spite of this sudden and very tough loss, the family tradition will carry on. “The orchard operation will continue. My father, Kevin and I are going to continue the family business with a wonderful team behind us.”
And here’s something Doris would likely want people to know now that she’s not here in person to tell us. Back in 2006 while doing a story on the upcoming fall festival we asked her what’s your favorite apple? “My favorite apple to cook with or whatever is the Golden Delicious, and that’s what I make all of my cakes with!”
Good advice Doris, thank you for all of the memories, you were one of the truly good ones.
