Doris Caplan Gidding, beloved mother of Sam and Lou Gidding, passed away at age 95 years on Friday March 21 (21 Adar), peacefully, in Delray Beach Florida. Born in Philadelphia and educated at Penn State University, Doris moved to Wildwood New Jersey in 1950 after marrying her beloved husband, Bernie.

Doris was a successful Wildwood business woman, managing both Giddings Haberdashery and the Brittany Motel, which she and Bernie built in 1969. She was an active member of Beth Judah Temple and renowned for her cooking skills (she taught several classes). She was an avid traveler, circling the globe, including visits to both the Soviet Union and China in the 1970s and 1980s. She retired in 1984, splitting time between Stone Harbor, New Jersey and Boca Raton. In Florida, she became a volunteer for many causes, most importantly Hebrew University and Planned Parenthood, receiving honors from both organizations.

She was a matriarch of her extended Caplan family. Donations in her honor may be made to Beth Judah Temple in Wildwood, New Jersey or Planned Parenthood. She is survived by two sons, Samuel and Louis, their wives (Cheryl Davis and Susan Gidding), 4 grandchildren (Aaron, Nathan, Robert, and Michael) and 4 great grandchildren (Janice Jean, Baz, Bernard, and Henry). As many of our friends and family have told us, "she may have been your mother but she was ours too”.