Magnolia Doss

Service Details

Family and friends are invited to meet in the Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home and Crematory on Friday, MAY 9th, for a visitation from 11:00 am until 12:00 pm. 

A service celebrating her life and Homegoing will take place at 12:00 pm.  Her interment will follow at West Lawn Memorial Park.

Magnolia Doss, affectionately known as Maggie, a devoted wife, loving mother, cherished grandmother, and caring friend, departed this life at her residence on April 25, 2025. Born on May 22, 1938, in Calhoun City, Mississippi. Maggie underwent water baptism as a youth at Union Grove Baptist Church. Her life was a beautiful testament to love, selflessness, and the power of family.

Born to the late Occoless (Daddy Less) Trotter and Nora (Mama Nora) Trotter, she was the fifth of ten children. In her youth, Maggie was an athlete and was known as a great basketball player in high school. While still in high school, Maggie moved North to live with her brother John in Chicago, where she graduated and began working at Allens Department Store. Her employment at Allens would lead to a divine connection where she would ultimately meet the love of her life, Crawford Bruce Doss Jr., lovingly known as Bruce. They married in 1960, embarking on a remarkable union of 63 years marked by unwavering love and partnership.

Together, Maggie and Bruce built a life of love and hard work in Racine, Wisconsin, raising three wonderful children: Eric D. Doss, Angela (Lavel) Jackson, and Christopher (Kristine) Doss. Maggie worked as a Nurse’s Aide at St. Mary’s Hospital (now Ascension All Saints) for over 20 years, often on the second shift, enabling her and Bruce to care for their children without daycare-a testament to her dedication to her family.

A woman of many passions, Maggie found joy in cooking and baking, blessing family, friends, and neighbors with her legendary Christmas cookies. Her cookies, eagerly anticipated each holiday season, were a symbol of her love and thoughtfulness. She also had a green thumb and a passion for gardening, which reflected her nurturing nature. Whether cultivating her garden or tending to the needs of others, Maggie embodied selflessness and care.

For anyone who noticed, Maggie had a knack for remembering everything-every detail, every story, and every moment shared with those she loved, keeping her family history alive in her heart. She cherished her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and beamed from ear to ear whenever they were around.

Maggie leaves behind a legacy of love and cherished memories with her sisters Allene Williams and Verlee Stovall; her children Eric Doss, Angela (Lavel) Jackson, and Christopher (Kristine) Doss; her beloved grandchildren Jamaar Jackson, Nicole (Adam) Jackson Major, Hannah Doss, Haley Doss, and Antonio Kulig; great-grandchildren Arabelle and Ezekiel Jackson Major; and a host of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, cousins, friends, and family who loved her dearly.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Crawford Bruce Doss Jr.; her parents, Occoless and Nora Trotter; her brothers Donald, O.L. “Pee Wee” Trotter, John (Carole) Trotter, Joe (Kathleen) Trotter; and her sisters Jessie Harper, Juanita Trotter, and Yvonne Young.

Family and friends are invited to meet in the Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home and Crematory on Friday, MAY 9th, for a visitation from 11:00 am until 12:00 pm.  A service celebrating her life and Homegoing will take place at 12:00 pm.  Her entombment will follow at West Lawn Memorial Park.