Obituary

JAMES CHARLES DORIA, 74, of Charleston, WV, passed away on January 15, 2026, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Jim was born on February 28, 1951, in Scranton, PA. He was the son of the late Manuel and Kay Doria. He received his undergraduate degree from Penn State University and his Master’s degree in Sociology from West Virginia University. A joint public health project between CAMC and Shawnee Hills first brought him to Charleston, here he met his best friend, Gary Donnelly, with whom he shared a love for hiking and the outdoors.

He laid down his roots in Charleston, working until his retirement as an epidemiologist for the Bureau of Public Health for the State of West Virginia. In 1995, he married his wife of 30 years, Deidre. He was proud of his Jewish faith and was an active member of the B’nai Jacob community. West Virginia became his home; watching WVU football games alongside his late brother-in-law Jerry Goldberg was a favorite pastime. Jim was equally proud of his Italian heritage; he loved to cook his mother’s “secret gnocchi recipe” from scratch, and, when the later years of Parkinson’s made travel difficult, he and Deidre made the journey of a lifetime to visit Italy. In marrying Deidre, he jumped right into his role as stepfather to her four children, and he loved them as his own. His most cherished role in life was that of “Pop Pop” to his grandkids, Liam, Gavin, Nora and Sammy; and his grandniece and nephew, Ike and Maggie.

Jim is survived by his wife, Deidre Doria of Charleston; stepson Jason (Karri) Lord of St. Albans, WV; stepson Aaron (Christian) Lord of Brooklyn, NY; stepdaughter Elaina (Nolan) Tully of Haddonfield, NJ; stepdaughter Blair Lord of Los Angeles, CA; nephew Scott (Shannon) Goldman of Pittsburgh, PA; sister Diane Santarsiero of Austin, TX; nieces Kristen and Beth Santarsiero of Austin; sister-in-law Donna Goldberg of Charleston; brother-in-law Ed Rosenthal of Cincinnati, OH; and numerous extended family members and friends, all of whom he held dear.

Funeral services will be held at 12 noon on Sunday, January 18, 2026, at Barlow Bonsall Funeral Home, 1118 Virginia Street East, Charleston. Burial will follow at B’nai Jacob Eternal Home, Charleston.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Jim’s memory to B’Nai Jacob Synagogue or the charity of your choice.

You may send condolences to the family at barlowbonsall.com.

Barlow Bonsall Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.