Doris Procter Bason

Doris was born in Raleigh on July 23, 1926, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Ivan Marriott Procter. She attended Wiley Elementary School and Broughton High School in Raleigh and she graduated from Ashley Hall in Charleston, South Carolina, on D-Day in 1944. In 1948 she graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, with a degree in bacteriology. Her childhood was spent as a member of Edenton Street Methodist Church; in 1948 she joined Christ Episcopal Church.

Doris was predeceased by her husband, George Foust Bason, whom she met in the first grade at Wiley School. Doris and George were married in September of 1948, just before George began law school at UNC-Chapel Hill. Doris was supervisor of the bacteriology lab in the UNC Medical School until George graduated in 1951.

While running the house and nurturing her growing family, Doris was very active in her community. She served on the Raleigh Historic Sites Commission for a decade beginning in 1967 and was a founding member of the Mordecai Square Historical Society in 1969. She was also a founding member and incorporating officer of Drug Action of Wake County (now SouthLight), serving on the board for ten years from its inception in 1970. She sat on the board of directors of Interact from 1977 to 1984, serving as chairman in 1980. She was also an active member of the board of directors of Hospice of Wake County, now Transitions LifeCare, from 1984 until 1995.

While Doris claimed she was never an outstanding student, she learned, taught and shared an incredible range of skills, knowledge and talent. She was an accomplished seamstress and needleworker. She was an excellent potter, a prize-winning photographer, and a sometime jewelry maker. She studied pottery at the Penland School of Crafts in Spruce Pine, photography and jewelry at Meredith College, and learned bricklaying at Wake Community College, now Wake Tech. Doris co-chaired the first Juried Craft Exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of History in 1983. In 1967 she was honored to participate in the creation of the beautiful book, “Raleigh, North Carolina’s Capitol,” as a member of the editing and publishing committee and in 1992 she helped to create the updated edition.

A voracious reader and traveler in developing and diverse countries, Doris was most interested in visiting and reading about people who “don’t look like me and don’t live like me.” She was an early advocate of integration, signing in 1960 a petition to open public lunch counters to everyone.

Doris was very proud of George’s professional work, especially his years as an activist juvenile court judge. She loved her family beyond measure and never held back from telling them so, and treasured her time with her children, her grands and her greats. She was an incurable optimist, always expecting and usually receiving the best. Doris was a compassionate and empathetic listener and story-teller, impacting many lives across multiple generations. Many people considered her a dear friend and will miss their visits and conversations with her. She was open-minded and broadminded, accepting what came and loving life.

In addition to her husband, Doris was predeceased by her parents, her brother, Jarvis Reginald Procter, and her sister, Nancy Procter Langley.

She is survived by her children, George Foust Bason, Jr. of Raleigh (Mary Ellen Anderson), Jennie Bason Beasley of Winston-Salem (Earl), John Ashe Bason of Raleigh (Amy), and Doris Bason Lee of Clayton (David); her grandchildren, Hannah Bason Cooke (John Mark Williams), George Foust Bason III, Jane Beasley Duncan (Griffin), Meg Beasley MacBain (Will), Sam Holton Lee (Timmy Fitzgerald), Anna Willard Cross (Merit), Will O’Neal (Hunter), and Leah Bason; and her four great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her loving sister, Marriott Procter Little of Raleigh, her many beloved nieces and nephews, and Mary Ellen’s daughter, Aubrey Barker. In addition Doris is survived by Lauren Reynolds, who was a helpmate, a soulmate and a beloved companion and caregiver for the past ten years. We thank Lauren with all our hearts for her compassion and dedication, and we’re immensely grateful to her growing family for sharing her with our Mother.

A memorial service will be held at Christ Church at 1:00 pm on Saturday, July 17th, followed by a reception at the Carolina Country Club. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh NC 27607, Haven House, 600 W. Cabarrus Street, Raleigh NC 27603, or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Services provided by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's St. Raleigh, NC.