September 20, 2011

Emily Karen Van Doren, 57, of Corydon, Ind., formerly of Chuckatuck, Va., died Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, following a brief illness.

Born June 23, 1954, in Arlington, Va., she was the daughter of the late Theodore and Helen Bezilla Van Doren, and a graduate of John Yeates High School. She worked for 24 years for Caesar’s Palace in Nevada and Indiana. An outgoing and adventurous free spirit, she drove her motorcycle solo from Virginia to Wyoming at age 19. She had an abiding love for all animals, especially horses, and successfully adopted a wild mustang. She became an accomplished artist in stained glass, and was a skilled gardener. All of these traits and talents had in common her deep appreciation of nature and the wild.

Survivors include a daughter, Amy Catherine Pine and her spouse, Richard Glennon Ross, of Durham, N.C.; three brothers, William Theodore Van Doren and his spouse, Laura Owen Sutherland, of Charlottesville, Va., Stephen Lawrence Van Doren and his spouse, Sandra Ashley Van Doren, of Westminster, Md., and Michael Van Doren and his spouse, Linda Shropshire Van Doren, of Cedar Park, Texas; a granddaughter, Zoe Mae Patricia Pine Ross; nieces, Ashley Michelle Hanson, Jody Elise Zaruba and Miranda Elizabeth Van Doren, and a nephew, Cooper Kenneth Van Doren.

The family suggests memorial gifts to Indiana Horse Rescue. A memorial ceremony will be held Saturday, Oct. 15, at 3:30 p.m., in Corydon. Please call 812-267-2160 for details.