Doris Roper Briscoe
Decatur
Doris Roper Briscoe passed into life eternal with her Lord on Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at Decatur General Hospital, suffering very little and lasting barely a day after she became seriously ill. Although she lived by God's grace to be 96, and that in her home on Woodland until a few months ago, her illnesses were only the usual and relatively minor ones. "How are you," we would ask. "Just fine, for an old lady!" She was full of quiet fun: "Now Jim, there was a time when I almost couldn't see you when you turned sideways." Then that would do. She lived a rich life of service and patience, of reserve and honesty. Discreet and gracious all the while, Aunt Doris subtly revealed her understandings, and how we loved her for her wit and wisdom, and for herself. "He's a Briscoe," she would say of the love of her life, Alvis, her husband of more than 50 years, and making their home was her life's work. Himself whole, Alvis is singing "Amazing Grace" just now to her beautiful piano playing.
Doris eagerly served her Southside Baptist Church throughout her life, giving up her famous Christmas parties for the Southside Choir not many years ago, when arthritis made her. As with her joy in the choir, so too did she relish her service to the Eastern Star, where likewise she held many faithful friends. She loved her community of Decatur and her nation. In 2008 we asked, "Whom will you vote for to be President, Aunt Doris?" "Well, I've talked to Alvis about it (to his fine portrait in the living room over the piano, as she often would say), and he told me to leave the house if I didn't vote the good old way."
She was born in Austinville in 1915 and graduated from Decatur High School, the daughter of T.J. and Fannie Mae Roper. She stayed quite close to her sister, Mavis Roper Hendon, especially, but likewise to her brothers A.G., Luther, and Julian, all of whom went ahead of her. She dearly loved her nieces Mary Hendon Turner and the late Jan Hendon Douglas, and they her, as also her great-niece Emily Sims and great-nephews Joshua and Richard Turner. She treasured her Briscoe brothers and sisters on Alvis's side, Lois Ward and Geraldine Smallwood, Ewell and Tommy, and their wives Louise and Maxine and Lois's husband Cecil, and she's telling them so again just now. She loved her brother-in-law Rev. Carl Smallwood, who survives her, as also his daughters Connie Tucker and Jo Anne Pinnix. She loved her other nieces and nephews among the Briscoes, as well, Barbara Ward Odle and the late Bobby Ward; the sisters Beth Briscoe, Ann Jones, and Bebe Arthur; and Bill and Jim Briscoe. We were welcomed at any time, and made to feel exactly like "her own" in her beautiful and immaculate and most comfortable home-we were her own!
We'll miss this great lady with our whole heart, our Aunt Doris. The world will be the poorer for her loss but made all the more wonderful by her sojourn here. And Heaven, which gave us this blessing, now is oh so greatly the richer.
Doris's services will be at Ridout's Brown-Service Funeral Home, Memorial Drive, on Sunday, November 27, with calling at 2:00 and the service at 3:00, and burial will follow in Roselawn. The Southside pastor, Dr. Benjamin Hayes, will officiate. Pallbearers will be Richard Turner, Joshua Turner, Corey Barnette, and Will Sims. Donations in Doris's memory may be made to Hospice of the Valley or Southside Baptist Church, about which Doris would encourage us, "The Good Book tells us that we should gather ourselves together in praise!"