Alyce Chesser

Alyce was born on January 24, 1940, in Columbiana, Alabama. Her parents, Clarence and Bernice (Ray) Chesser, modeled for her the hard work and industriousness of life on a farm. She graduated from Talladega High School, then moved to Mississippi to attend Belhaven College, where she would serve as Student Body President before graduating. During the course of her adult life, she lived in Jackson, MS; New Orleans, LA; Tampa, FL; Charlotte, NC; and finally, Greenville, SC.

Alyce treated the word “neighbor” as a verb. She moved toward the person in front of her, and she placed herself in the path of those she perceived to be in need of a neighbor. Inside the front cover of her Bible, among other verses, she wrote this passage from Proverbs: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Though her profession changed in different seasons of her life, both her work life and her civic involvement were an outworking of her genuine love of neighbor.

Without an online presence, Alyce was quite literally an “influencer.” She influenced through faithful presence, timely words, handwritten notes, thoughtful gifts, prayer for others, service, and dignity. Her family enjoyed that influence in a particular way.

She enjoyed a lifelong interest in stewarding bodily health through natural means. Her other interests included: hiking; gardening; England (which she finally visited at the age of 82); naming inanimate objects (all of her cars, and possibly yours); her wonderful friends, near and far; and the church family God raised up for her in Greenville.

Alyce is survived by her sons: Brent Habig of Hattiesburg, MS (Patti); and Brian Habig of Greenville, SC. (Alyce’s daughter-in-law, Dana Habig, was her steadfast caregiver, medical advocate, and driver/companion — both before and during her bout with cancer.) She is also survived by her grandchildren, whom she adored, and to whom she was “Nana”: Henry, John, and Betsy Habig. Her younger brothers are Randy Chesser (Barbara) of Prattville, AL, and Steve Chesser of Birmingham. She is predeceased by her younger sister, Judy Chesser, as well as her parents.

Her memorial service will be held at Downtown Presbyterian Church, 435 West Washington Street, Greenville, SC, on Thursday, October 16, at 10:30am. Pastor Tim Udouj of Grace & Peace Presbyterian Church in Greenville will officiate. Visitation will take place at Downtown Presbyterian immediately following the service.

Memorial gifts in Alyce’s honor may be made to: The Deacons’ Benevolence Fund of Downtown Presbyterian Church (downtownpres.org); or to Avoda Fund (avodafund.org), which supports Christian educational and entrepreneurial endeavors in developing nations around the globe. (Alyce will not have a grave marker of any kind. But at one point in her life, she wrote that if she had one, it would contain this initial question-and-answer from the Heidelberg Catechism of 1563):

What is your only comfort in life and in death? That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

https://www.downtownpres.org/live