Frances Lyles Harper

Frances Lyles Harper was delivered into God’s hands on September 15, 2023 after a lengthy and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. She was ninety-two years old. Frances was born in Bashi, Alabama, the eldest daughter of Sarah and Bertram Lyles. Upon high school graduation, she moved to Montgomery Alabama where she later met and began her lifelong relationship with her husband, Henry Johnson Harper.

Mrs. Harper enjoyed the simple pleasures of life, especially spending time at her beloved home in Pike Road surrounded by her family. She was a wonderful cook, an avid gardener, and also a keen observer and lover of nature, whether in her yard in Pike Road, at Navarre Beach, or in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Little Switzerland, North Carolina. She noticed and admired the birds of the air, the beautiful flowers and plants, and all of God’s creations. Her devout Christian faith shaped the person she was and gave her the strength to live with her illness for over fifteen years.

But Frances’ most important legacy will be the love and care she shared with her four children; Leah, Henry “Bubba,” John, and Millicent, as well as her husband of 58 years, Henry.

Mrs. Harper was preceded in death by her husband, Henry Johnson Harper; her parents, Sarah Howell Lyles and Ellis Bertram Lyles; her sister, Sarah Ann Lyles Penney; and her brothers, Tom Bettis Lyles, and Charles Henry Lyles. She is survived by her four children; Leah Harper Bowron of Dothan, Alabama, Henry Johnson Harper, Jr. of Dothan Alabama, John Lyles Harper(Brandi) of Dothan Alabama, and Millicent Harper Veltman of Charlotte North Carolina; six grandchildren, Sarah Bowron McManus(Daniel), Nina Madeline Harper, James Bertram Harper, Fritz Henry Ruardus Veltman, Perrin Frances Theodora Veltman, and Emily Frances Harper. Mrs. Harper’s family would like to thank the many wonderful caregivers who assisted her during her illness, especially Rosalyn Miller. Mrs. Harper’s kind and sweet demeanor touched everyone she met. She will be thoroughly missed but her memory will endure.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm, on Thursday, September 21st, at The Episcopal Church of the Nativity, 205 Holly Lane, Dothan Alabama. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama, or to the charity of one’s choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Leak-MC.com for the Harper family.