Doris Marie (Vincent) Mason

Doris Marie Vincent Mason “Granny” passed away June 16, 2020 in Snellville, GA. She was born on February 9th, 1941 near Talladega, Alabama. After graduating from Talladega High School in 1959 she moved to Atlanta, Georgia and started to work for the Federal Reserve. She lived her adult life in Gwinnett County raising her children and spending time with her grandchildren. She was a true lady, she loved her Alabama football, along with golf and Tiger Woods. She loved her family and friends. She especially enjoyed sharing stories about her family with anyone who would listen. She had many, many friends who loved being in her company and she treasured every moment she had with them. She will be greatly missed. We have peace knowing she is now forever with the love of her life. We love you Granny. Rest in Peace.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 23 years, Jimmy Mason. Together they built a wonderful family. She and Jimmy loved to travel, run businesses together, entertain friends and family and especially play with their grandchildren.

She is survived by her brother Louis Vincent of Talladega, AL; her brother-in-law Jack Bowden of Talladega, AL; her son and daughter-in-law Johnny and Trish O’Kelley of Bostwick, GA; her son and daughter-in-law Mark and Kim O’Kelley of Tucker, GA; her daughter and son-in-law Pam and Marty Taylor of Snellville, GA; her grandsons Connor (Alyson) O’Kelley, Ian (Gabby) O’Kelley, Will Taylor, John Taylor, and her great granddaughter Miss Lilly O’Kelley, nephew Bob (Pat) Tanner as well many other special nieces and nephews, God granddaughters Summer and Skylar Cook.

She was also preceded in death by 3 sisters and 3 brothers: Eugene Vincent, John Hayden Vincent, Walter Benjamin “Buddy” Vincent, Gladys Vincent McCraven, Betty Vincent Tanner, and Norma Vincent Bowden.
Family will receive friends from 11:00 to Noon on Friday, June 19, 2020 with funeral services following at 12:00 at Wages & Sons Gwinnett Chapel, 1031 Lawrenceville Highway Lawrenceville, GA 30046. Interment will be at Snellville City Historical Cemetery at 1:30.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Doris V. Mason to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org. This was one of her favorite causes.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.wagesandsons.com.

Service Transcript

Marshall Rothman – Welcome to the celebration of life of Doris Vincent Mason, best known as Granny.
The family truly appreciates you coming out today. If you are here in person or watching the live stream, then they know she touched your life in some way as you did hers.
I’ve been asked to speak on behalf of this family to whom I hold dear in my heart.
Doris’s legacy is her amazing family of children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Her children:
Johnny and Trish O’Kelley
Mark and Kim O’Kelley
Pam and Marty Taylor
Her Grandchildren:
Connor and Alyson O’Kelley and great granddaughter Lilly
Ian and Gabby O’Kelley
Twin “Baby Boys” John and Will Taylor
Twin “baby girls” (God Great Grands) – Summer and Skylar

She was a wife, a sister, a mom, a mother-in-law, an aunt, a grandmother, a friend, and HoHo at Christmas but everyone called her GRANNY and Granny encompasses everything she was… She loved us all “to the moon & back”. This was one of her favorite ways to tell you she loved you. She was married to Jimmy for 23 years and they loved spending time together and traveling…unless it was overseas… She preferred beaches and Vegas to most any location. Jimmy learned the hard way that she does not like traveling overseas. God Bless him. After Jimmy passed she truly was the Matriarch of the family. Family was everything to her – especially her grandchildren and she loved sharing stories to anyone who would listen and well even if they didn’t. Even if she only knew you for 2 seconds, you were going to hear about the latest accomplishment of one of her children or grandchildren. She loved all children and never missed an opportunity to love on a baby. We’re talking even if she’s passing them in a restaurant or store. She sees one, she’s gonna love on them. Doris treasured her friends and always went out of her way to let them know how special they were to her. She created so many happy and fun memories on her girl trips to the beach and to Hilton Head and as well as with her dinner groups. She never left the house without her hair done, make up intact, a cute well-coordinated outfit with matching shoes and handbag. She was extremely thoughtful and generous and most generous with her time and affection. She might have only weighed 90 pounds, but her heart was the size of giant. She loved Alabama football and let everyone know it, ROLL TIDE ROLL…the only true exceptions were DUKE football once her grandsons started playing there; and she would often give Dawg fans a pass as well. She loved her weekends of watching golf and Tiger Woods. With a glass of wine of course! She loved grilling out with family in the summer. Holidays and birthdays were always a cause for big celebration. The more family, the better. It filled her heart with joy to be surrounded by family.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Smile for The Ages, a poem
Each day with you was special, it’s hard to express,
I loved your voice, smile, laugh, and your sweet tenderness.
Your joyful, playful spirit was such a contagious one,
A minute in your presence was bursting with fun.
I always enjoyed our adventures playing on the beach,
It’s heart breaking to realize you’re not within my reach.
You were so amazing and beautiful in so many ways,
Sincere, giving, and loving through all of your days.
I wish I could hug you right now, why did you have to go?
These days are hard without you, but this you should know,
When the day comes to join you in that heavenly place,
A beautiful smile for the ages will be on my face!

SONG – You Raise Me Up

Marshall – Introduces family friend Christina Wisehart who will say a few words.

Christina Wisehart
John 14: 16-20
..and Jesus said…
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; —> because I live, you will live also.
——–
My name is Christina Wisehart and I am a family friend. Although, over the years, it has felt as though we have become more like a true family.
This is unusual in today’s world, but not for this family, and not for Doris who so graciously took in my husband, myself, and our two shih tzu’s after we were married in 2012.
She didn’t know us very well. Still, she allowed it. We didn’t know her very well, and still we felt the love.
Flash forward. My brother was getting married. Despite pain. Despite the need for portable oxygen and assistance. Despite the difficulty. Despite the heat. Despite the distance. She showed up.
— and I can think of many instances where she showed up, as I am sure many of you can as well.
This. This showing up doesn’t come from the pseudo- or a fake heart. This showing up comes from motivation, and that motivation is love (no matter how messy or pretty it looks in the end).
Likewise, He, the very Creator of unconditional Love, showed up. Who is He? Jesus.
Jesus showed up for Doris– throughout her life, early in the morning the other day, and He is, as scripture shows us, with her now. He is now, purely and perfectly, her everything as it was meant to be from the beginning.

Revisiting the scripture above:
– He said I will not leave you…
– He said I will come to you…
..and because I live, you also shall live.
He came first. He didn’t leave. He won’t leave.

I will end with this:
“The Truth affirms in public proclamation what it lives in private life.” – Ravi Zacharias
The Truth is written in Genesis 1. We are made in His image…but we have to choose to accept that image, live in that image, and reflect that image to the people around us. Doris, to us, did just that in moments of need.

Let us pray.

Eulogy from Cheryl Wienges read by Christina:
Her name was Granny. She had many other names: Doris Marie Vincent (O’Kelley) Mason, but her very most cherished name was Granny.
Doris was a magnet for children. They were drawn to one another like moths to a flame. Granny Doris found children irresistible. They delighted her and she delighted them. Doris always paid attention to children and enjoyed simply playing with them, reveling in their amusements. For their part, they never forgot her kindness and her ‘kidness’. They all knew that she loved them, and that she took great pleasure in their company.
She adored her own three children: Johnny, Mark and Pam. When they married, their spouses became her children too, and when her children had their own babies…look out! Granny Doris was ready to jump in with both feet. It is a true blessing that Doris was able to anticipate and then enjoy the birth of her first great-grandchild (&granddaughter), Lilly O’Kelley. The time spent with Lilly each week was among her most precious and was so meaningful to her.
So, among her names, Granny was the ultimate golden designation.
Coming from Talladega, Alabama, Doris was a fan of the Crimson Tide.
But as her twin grandsons grew up and eventually went to Duke University to play football, immediately her allegiance was transferred. She became a great Duke Blue Devil fan cheering her ‘baby’ boys on. She happily traded her crimson and white for the Blue Devil blues and wore them proudly.
Doris enjoyed watching football, but she also loved to watch golf, spending lots of screen time with the PGA Tour. She had her favorites, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods among them.
She always enjoyed her life. She particularly liked to socialize and have fun.
She was a wonderful and steadfast friend and claimed many friendships throughout her lifetime. She enjoyed being with her buddies, going out for dinner and having great fun! Doris did like to have a good time!
She loved going out to eat, but for most of her life, she ate like a bird.
This kept her slim and trim and able to wear those snappy outfits that some others of us couldn’t pull off as we aged. She always dressed beautifully and presented an elegant face to the world though she probably wouldn’t admit that if complimented. Doris was not one to want the focus on herself, she preferred to shine it on others.
She was very giving and caring to her friends. A favorite way to show she cared was by sending special cards to friends for birthdays and other memorable occasions. Doris took great care in picking out the exact right one to show just how much she cared for them.
And Doris was kind. She looked out and cared for others, wanting the best for them, friends and acquaintances alike.
But it was her family that grabbed the greatest share of her attention.
Doris loved her family. Her main focus was on her children and grandchildren and her extended family.
She was close to and adored her own family members – her brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews. She was the baby of the family and loved her older brothers and sisters enormously. She always enjoyed going back to Alabama and seeing them, their children and grandchildren; they were a huge and important part of her life, spoken of fondly and frequently as she recounted their times together.
Her family was her heart.
Doris Mason was a real force of nature, fierce and steady, consistent in her love.
Some of the comments on Facebook to family postings of her passing included these that can summarize and illuminate the woman we all loved:
She was fierce in her love for her friends and family;
And so welcoming and kind to me and mine;
There was always laughter and love with her,
But I believe she had a little devilish side that made her extra special;
She loved her family more than anything!
We have peace knowing she is now and forever
with the great love of her life, resting easy and free from pain.

Marshall back to close out.
In Closing –
We don’t have to tell you all about her entire life because you were all a part of it. We were all blessed to have known her, to love her, and especially to be loved by her. If you were a friend, then you know you were thought of as family. She was a second Mom to many.
Our wishes today are for you to cherish the memories, know you were truly special to her and never forget the joy she brought to this world. Carry on her and Jimmy’s legacy of celebrating family and friends. Cherish every moment.
She will be incredibly missed and though our hearts are broken, we know the pain we have now is just a reflection of the love we have for her.May her memory be a blessing to all who know her and may the grief soon be replaced with beautiful memories.
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

SONG – Desperado while family and Granny exit the chapel

At Graveside:
Marshall – Read the Safely Home piece
Safely Home
I am home in heaven, dear ones;
Oh, so happy and so bright.
There is a perfect joy and beauty
in this everlasting light.

All the pain and grief is over,
every restless tossing passed;
I am now at peace forever,
safely home in heaven at last.

Did you wonder I so calmly
Trod the valley of the shade?
Oh, but Jesus’ love illuminated
Every dark and fearful glade.

And He came Himself to meet me
in the way so hard to tread;
And with Jesus’ arm to lean on
could I have one doubt or dread?

Then you must not grieve so sorely,
for I love you dearly still.
Try to look beyond death’s shadows;
Pray to trust our Father’s will.

There is work still waiting for you,
so you must not idly stand.
Do it now, while life remaineth;
you shall rest in Jesus’ land.

When that work is all completed,
He will gently call you home;
Oh, the rapture of that meeting;
Oh, the joy to see you come!
Marshal to close with Isaiah 41:10