Funeral services for Mrs. Doris Bankston, 89, of Meadville, MS  will be on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at Franklin Funeral Home in Meadville, MS at 2:00 PM, with burial to follow in the Midway Cemetery in Meadville, MS. Franklin Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Doris Mae Ducker Bankston was born on May 4, 1932, to Denton Alexander and Mattie Cupit Ducker in New Orleans. She passed graciously and peacefully in her sleep at home per her wishes from this life into her eternal home face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ on March 24, 2022, just a few days short of her 90 ^th birthday.  She grew up on Magazine Street in the Crescent City with fond memories of her little brother, Denny,  and of walking to school and quite often to Audubon Zoo.  One of her favorite stories was that one day she was allowed to walk to the zoo with her cousin Cynthia, and having been told to not get in the wading pond at the zoo, she immediately got in and fell soaking her clothes.  She then had to walk around until her clothes dried before she could go back home with her parents being none the wiser. She also fondly recalled riding the passenger train many times from New Orleans to Hamburg, MS, to visit family.  At the age of 12 and much to the dismay of her mother, the family moved to Oldenburg, MS, which was the family home of her father.  She then attended school in Roxie, MS, where she played basketball and was a member of the graduating class of 1950. At Roxie she became lifelong friends with Hilma McMillan Oglesby and Joy Priest Bonds.

The day before her high school graduation she eloped, once again to the dismay of her mother, to marry Marshall L (M.L.) Bankston in Union Church, MS.  She sent a friend to tell her mother and father with the reaction of her mother being a story in itself.  Nonetheless, the marriage lasted 67 years with her mother coming to love "Emmy", as she called her son-in-law. Her first child Deborah Janet was born in 1952, her son Marshall Lafayat in 1955, and daughter Olivia Ann in 1961.  She worked for several years as a nurse's aide at Franklin County Memorial Hospital and later for Dr. Maria Gonzales.  She was a devoted, caring, and supportive mother who loved her children unconditionally even when they did things that were not so honorable.  Eventually she became grandmother to Kristi, Brandi, Ashley, and Preston. She kept them all when they were little while their parents worked and taught them valuable lifelong lessons at a very early age like how to eat fried catfish at The Sandbar Restaurant and shop at McRae's both of which were pretty much weekly events.  In the late 1980's she and our father discovered Gatlinburg, TN, and they made twice a year trips there with her last being in the summer of 2019.  In time her great grandchildren were born – Emily, Anna Kate, John Grayson, Sophie, Denton, and Walker.  Though she never kept them, she adored and loved them to no end.

She was preceded in death by her parents, our father,  son-in-law Larry Lynn "Skeeter" Halford, and infant grandson Brandon Alexander Shelton.

Left with the fragrance of memories for her are her brother Denton "Denny" Alexander Ducker, Jr. of Katy, Texas, her children Deb, Marshall, and Lib and husband Eddie Shelton all of Meadville, her granddaughters Kristi Hester and husband Eddie of Meadville, Brandi Hollingsworth and husband Alex of The Woodlands, TX,  Ashley Priest and husband Mitch of McCall Creek, and grandson Preston Shelton and wife Kristin of Meadville.  Her great grandchildren are Emily Grace and Anna Kate Hester, John Grayson Priest, Sophie Lynn and Denton Alexander Hollingsworth, and Walker Lane Shelton.

She was very thankful for her friends that were so faithful to visit her and check on her the last few years –  Daisy Arnold, Lee Ducker, Peggy Farrell, Maggie and C.L. Leonard, Kirk Williamson, Dee Dee Brown, Marshalene Gillespie and Malcolm and Pam Emfinger (who brought her homemade jelly she enjoyed so much). She also was graciously fond of and loved to visit with her Osborne first cousins – Sam Osborne (Bobby), Herman Osborne (Linda) ,Loyd Dean Smith, Verna (G. Dale) Smith and Ruth Henley.

The family and our mother were very appreciative of the care of the therapists and nurses given by Sta-Home Health (Jill Falvey, Miranda Boyd, Charlie Beach, and Michelle Orr) who lovingly cared for her and shared their personal stories of children and adventures with her.  She was also grateful of the care and services over the years provided by Franklin County Memorial Hospital and Dr. Bo Gabbert, Dr. Bill Larkin, Dr. Karen Touchstone, Dr. Kimberly Estes, and Nurse Practitioner Sue Sullivan. Over the last few years, she had become quite the golf fan with Phil Mickleson and Jordan Spieth being her favorites (though she called them "Nickleson" and "Spith").

Memorials may be made in her honor to Rick Hughes Evangelistic Ministries, P. O. Box 100, Cropwell Alabama, 35054,  which she supported and believed in, and greatly enjoyed Rick's FLOT Line podcasts.

Pallbearers are Preston Shelton, Mitch Priest, Eddie Hester, Alex Hollingsworth, Tony Ducker, and Jim Cupit.

Honorary pallbearers are Larry Hill, James S. Case, Milton Smith, Sherrill Smith, C. L. Leonard,  Alan Dossett, John Gordon Roach, Jr., Bo Sullivan, Joey Sullivan, Archie Campbell, Kirk Williamson, Doc Passinger, Robin Farrell and Mike Storey.