Mary Alice Frazier

Mary Alice, Alice, MawMaw, Mammaw, Grandma, GiGi, was born in Cooleemee, North Carolina, on April 12, 1922, the daughter of Samuel Franklin Binkley and Martha Ethel Burton Binkley. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Kenneth Arnold Frazier, Sr., son-in-law John E. Stettler, daughter-in-law E. Susan Figgins Frazier, her sister Rebecca Binkley Hickman, brothers Marvin F. Binkley, Harold E. Binkley, and James G. Binkley.

She is survived by her dear older brother Sam F. Binkley, Jr., of Decatur, Alabama; her son Kenneth Arnold Frazier Jr., and his partner Harriet Winograd, of Connecticut; her daughter Patricia Alice Frazier Stettler Wood, and her husband Bill Wood, of Georgia; her son Stephen Douglas Frazier and his wife Pat Rhoden Frazier, of Florida; and Dale Burton Frazier and his wife Sherri Bellah Frazier, of Georgia. She is survived, as well, by ten grandchildren, whom she loved dearly and who adored her; by fifteen great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. Her memory will be revered by countless nephews and nieces, for whom she was not only "Aunt Alice," but a friend, and a fount of wisdom and wit. In hard times and good, she was the source to whom so many turned for guidance.

Her family was far more than flesh and blood; it was a great extended family of faith in the church, where she guided generations of young women to adulthood and into marriage and motherhood. As her children and granddaughters turned to her for counsel over the years, so too did her "daughters" in the church, through the classes she taught over the years, and by her selfless response to the many requests she received for her compassionate ear and advice. From her, everyone received the living word of Jesus: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

Alice was a faithful lifelong member of the Church of Christ and is remembered in so many congregations for her powerful and vibrant soprano, lifting up the hearts of those who heard, moving all to praise. She and her sweetheart gave their children a love of vocal music that continues in their lives to this day. She was an inveterate reader, a lover of flowers and gardening. Perhaps most telling of all, in an age when personal hand-written correspondence has waned, she maintained a genteel and gracious regimen of card and letter writing.

Services were held at the Daniels Funeral Home in Rome, Georgia, 901 East 2nd Avenue. Visitation was held Saturday, June 28, 2014, at 9:30 a.m., followed by a memorial service at 11:00 a.m. with Minister Keith Crews officiating. Graveside services were for immediate family only.