MARYVILLE, TENN. – Doris Nell Pate Holley, age 83, of Maryville, Tenn., died June 24, 2018. Services will be 2 p.m. Saturday, June 30, 2018, at New Hope Baptist Church, 16598 Romulus Road, Buhl, Ala. 35446 with Brother John Alexander officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with Sunset Funeral Home, a Dignity Memorial Provider, directing. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church.
She was preceded in death by her husband, John Stanley Holley; son, Miles Wesley Holley; father, Levert O. Pate; mother, Leeoner Phillips Pate; sister, Dorothy A. Pate; and brother, Herbert O. Pate.
Survivors include her daughters, Kim Fleming (husband, Edward) of Newark, Del. and Nancy Land of Maryville, Tenn.; son, Stanley L. Holley (wife, Janet) of Prattville, Ala.; grandchildren, Miles W. Holley, II (wife, Sarah), Leslie Dedon (husband, Gerald), Alexander “Alex” Holley, Johnathan “Charles” Abshire and Holley E. Rogers (husband, Jonathan); and great-grandchildren, Amelia Holley, Mary Holley, Jacob Dedon, Avery Dedon, Evelynne Rogers and Gabriella Rogers.
Doris was born at home in Buhl, Alabama, in a close knit, friendly community. Her father, Levert Pate, was a carpenter and her mother, Leeoner Pate, was a housewife and mother.
She attended Romulus School where she had many close friends and kept in close contact with them throughout the years. She graduated from Tuscaloosa County High School and also attended Cosmetology School in Tuscaloosa.
However life’s journey took her elsewhere. She married her love and mate for life, John Stanley Holley, and set out to be a good wife. Soon the children came along. First, she had identical twin boys then a girl and one more girl. She raised all of her children in the love and admonition of the Lord. She was a Baptist by faith, a Christian by her choice to follow Jesus.
She became an excellent seamstress and created most of her girls’ clothes during their elementary education and gowns for church banquets and school functions in their high school years. She was a diligent worker and canned and froze fresh vegetables that she and John grew. She provided excellent meals for her family.
She was trained in Accounting after she moved to Louisiana and later back to Alabama to work in her and her husband’s businesses, industrial repair shops.
Her life was not without tragedy. Doris lost her parents and her brother at an early age then and later her son, sister and husband. All of these things never shook her faith. She lived it daily and was always putting others first. Through it all, her faith in her savior remained evident to all. Even up till the day that she could no longer communicate, she told her caregivers that she wanted to help them and would pray for them. Everyone involved always commented what an unselfish and sweet person she was.
Doris will be sorely missed by her family and all whom she came ibn contact with. We will see you soon Doris.
Pallbearers will be Alex Holley, Gerald Dedon, Jonathan Rogers, Keith Montgomery, Miles Holley and Robert Holley.
Honorary pallbearers are Stan Holley, Gary Holley and Adam Holley.
