Mrs. Dorothy Brown Maples

Maples, Dorothy Brown passed to Heaven on August 12, 2024. Born and raised in Randolph County she was the last of eight children born to Charlie & Clemmie Brown. In 1948 she married her sweetheart, Joseph Maples. Together they made a home in Birmingham raising their two daughters Joanna and Suzy. Mama Dot, as she was referred to by so many, worked as a weaver at Avondale Mills until it closed in 1971. She then continued her education by earning a GED and completed training for medical transcription in 1973. Four months later, God chose her to join her husband as he began his full-time ministry in the United Methodist Church. Faithfully she served with him in several churches and their communities: Asbury-Albertville, St. Andrews-Sylacauga, Wilsonville/Old Chapel, Falkville, Union Hill-Gadsden, Union Grove-Adamsville, Glenn Hills-Bessemer, and Walnut Grove-Midfield. She always found her place at each church, using her gifts where she could—teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, United Methodist Women activities, church work-days, and lending a hand (or a shovel) wherever needed. Self-taught on the autoharp, she loved playing and singing praise and love to God. She was a natural at crafts beginning with macrame in the 1970s and that naturally grew into everything sewing-related, tole painting, acrylic painting, woodworking, and more. To that she added a love and definite green thumb to gardening. In her later days she always had a smile and now famous “love-pats” for the grands, the greats, and honestly anyone who walked in the door. We miss those. We grieve our loss. But, we know she’s with her family, her husband, and her friends.

She was the sole surviving member of her family gone on before her: parents Charlie & Clemmie Brown; sisters Lonie Hand, Lillie Cooper, Flossie Waldrop, and Mary Daniel; brothers Charlie Brown Jr., Jep Brown, and Buddy Brown. Her beloved surviving family includes daughters Joanna Prickett and Suzy (Robert) Rutledge; grandchildren Jay Prickett, Loren Jones, and Melody (Mike) Stanley; great-grandchildren Bevyn Maple Jones, Caleb Stanley, and Charlotte Stanley; sister-in-law Roberta Tew; several nephews and nieces that were so precious to her.

Our heartfelt gratitude and admiration will forever be extended to the entire staff and volunteers at Lakeside Hospice who made this journey a little more bearable. A special thank you Karen, Amber, Katrina, and Karsen, now adopted into our little family.

These written sentiments pale in comparison to everything Mama was: fearless, independent, silly, wise, loyal, hard-working, adventurous, loving, gentle, resourceful, witty, feisty…the best little lady you could ever know.

Visitation will be Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 9:30am at Cropwell Baptist Church in Pell City, with services following at 10:30am. Interment will be that afternoon at Asbury Methodist Church Cemetery in Albertville, Alabama. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Lakeside Hospice, 4010 Masters Road, Pell City AL 35128; lakeside hospice.org