Mammaw Douthit

I don't know where to start. This past Wednesday Brian's grandmother passed away. She was such an amazing woman. I know everyone says that after a person dies, but let me tell you a little about her. She was married for almost 60 years, had 5 children, and 17 grandchildren. She believed that taking care of the home and all the people in it were her biggest responsibility. She was very short in stature, but she was able to get anything done she set her mind to.

Gene was a doctor and Doris felt that his work was important enough that he shouldn't be bothered by the little things at home. I never heard her complain about the challenges of raising 5 kids with a very busy husband. I heard stories of her taking them camping, preparing treats for school, making new dresses overnight, and all that is in addition to her normal cooking and cleaning for a large family. Oh, and did I mention that she did a lot of this while living in Korea?!

Doris thought the world of her grandchildren. When I came into the family, I remember encouraging her to get her grandchildren to help her with chores. She refused saying she wanted them to enjoy themselved and each other. It was her greatest wish that the family always be close. She still did EVERYONE'S laundry (including my own when I was there). She cooked for a million people. If she knew that you liked a particular dish, you could count on eating it while you were there. Everything at her house was wonderful. Food tasted better, there was peace even in the midst of chaos, and she loved with true unconditional love that you didn't need to earn. From the moment I met her, at the time as Brian's friend, she took me into the family as one of her own. I always joked that I married him for his family and she was a big reason for that. In the summertime, all her grandchildren would come live with her for months and she taught them the same lessons she taught her children. Brian and all his cousins grew into amazing adults in part because they never wanted to disappoint their grandparents.

Doris also had a calling outside of her home. She was touched by the Korean people. She decorated with Korean art and pottery, she spoke the language fluently, and she loved the culture and food. We never wore shoes into her house. You'd always see a pile of hundreds of shoes by the door. She created a outreach program through South Main Baptist Church, that ministered to Korean women. She would help women learn English, teach them to drive, and anything else they needed to learn to integrate fully into our culture. She was director of this program for over 30 years.

Finally, Doris was the best Christian I've ever known. She didn't speak badly of anyone... ever. She was hit by a man on a motorcycle and almost killed. She experienced pain for the rest of her life because of that accident. She forgave the man immediately and never complained of the pain. Doris didn't gossip, but she did pray. She prayed for everyone. She never asked for anything for herself, but I've heard stories of all the things she would get for other people. Doris didn't sit down often. She very quietly worked away daily at everything that needed to get done not once asking for a thank you. There were 3 preachers at her service (each of them knew her and the family), and I got the impression they were nervous. I'm guessing the reason is because even they didn't want to let her down.

I guess by now you understand that I looked up to her very much and loved her as if she were my own grandmother. There is no way I'll live up to her example. She created such a beautiful family, and she would have been so proud of them this past week. The Douthits have great pride in their family. It annoyed me at first, but this past week it came together for me that part of what we are proud of is being part of her legacy. It was a privilege to know her, and an even greater honor to be part of the beautiful family she raised.