Doris Cassan | Obit

Doris Oleen Cassan

January 1, 1939 – November 10, 2025

It is with profound sadness that we share the news of our mother’s passing on November 10, 2025. Doris Oleen Cassan née Scott was born on January 1, 1939 to Opal (née Gates) and John Scott, on her family’s farm in Causey, New Mexico. Her childhood was marked by hard work and limited opportunities. Picking cotton and mending fences was not the future she envisioned; Doris knew early on that education was her way off the farm.

After graduating from Causey High School (graduating class of 8), she attended Eastern New Mexico University. She worked every semester and all summer to afford higher education. Student government, Kappa Delta sorority, theatre – she was busy. Doris was the first in her family to attend and graduate from college. On a fateful Christmas day in 1960, she was introduced to James Cassan, and they married six months later.

As a young couple in November of 1967, Doris and James purchased the first Dollar Rent A Car franchise outside of California. From their fleet of five (5) Volkswagens, Doris rented her first car in Seattle on Valentine’s Day 1968. Doris spent the next 57 years growing and nurturing the business.

Doris never forgot her humble beginnings – you can take the girl out of Causey, but you can’t take Causey out of the girl. She was always seeking opportunities to help others. She created and funded an endowed scholarship at Eastern New Mexico University and in 1987, she was recognized as an outstanding alumnus. Doris took much delight in teaching Sunday school, volunteering at Operation Nightwatch, traveling with Medical Teams International, and her philanthropic partnership with the Free Wheelchair Mission. We will never know the true extent of her generosity because so much was done anonymously. The huge heart of this small woman has touched so many people who love her dearly.

Doris is survived by sons Todd (Michele) and Curt Cassan; daughter Traci Granbois (Andy); six grandchildren: Wyatt, Beckett, and Sam Cassan and Colette, Hudson, and Georgia Granbois; sister Byrdine Hayes (Tom), brother D. Dwight Scott, and cousin Tootsie Wilbur. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 62 years, James, and her brother Weyman Scott.