Doris L. Lester Strickland

Mrs. Doris L. Lester Strickland, a native of Loranger, LA and resident of Zachary, LA passed away peacefully on Friday, August 12, 2022, at the age of 91. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald D. Strickland; parents, Nancy Cooper and Charles Howard Lester; and twin brothers, Leroy and Leon Lester. Doris is survived by her brother, Aaron Lester; sister, Annette Lester Anthony; daughter, Sandra Serrett (Darrell, Sr.); and son, Randall Strickland; her grandchildren, Francelle Guillet (Chip), Brittney Peraino (Sal), Ashley Courville (Blaine), great grandchildren, Reese and Logan Guillet, Gio and Margo Peraino, Cohen, Lawson and Brooks Courville.  She was a bonus Maw Maw to her four step-grandchildren: Melissa Doucet, Darrell Serrett Jr. (Tootie), Mike Serrett, Jeff Serrett (Roberta) and several step-great grandchildren.  She is also survived by her niece and travel side-kick Brenda Lester along with several other dear nieces and nephews.  Those that knew her best, knew exactly where they would find her anytime they came to visit. Doris would be standing over her antique cast iron sink washing something with scalding hot water as her cherished dog stood by her side. The sound of the old-fashioned pressure cooker whistling on the stove to her right as the comforting smell of home cooked meals filled the air. That kitchen spot will stay ingrained in many of our memories.  Doris also bathed her granddaughters in that big white “tub” of a sink when they were little. She always had a deep freeze full to the brim with freshly harvested produce.  What wasn’t to be frozen was canned carefully by her and stored to be shared. We especially loved her canned tomatoes.  No one ever left her house hungry nor empty handed.  Walking through her yard you would find she had figs, muscadines, blueberries and lime, lemon, satsuma and pear trees.  She had all kinds of flowers but her pink Peggy Martin roses covering the arbor and all along the fence row in front of her house were beautiful.  Her house was a museum of all her favorite things: cabinets upon cabinets of cookbooks, novelty cooking gadgets, beautiful porcelain dolls, numerous sewing machines, trunks of sewing patterns, fabric and thread. Doris was a self-taught cracker jack seamstress, enjoyed crocheting, and never met a craft she was not able to master. A life-sized dollhouse was built in her front yard for her granddaughters by her husband and son.  She added her gift by crafting the finishing touches like window treatments, chair cushions, a bedspread for the doll bed and other decor. She enjoyed sewing pageant dresses for her granddaughters, and crafts galore especially for the local church fairs. Doris had an affinity for making stuffed bears and dolls of all sizes perfected with outfits to fit their personalities.  She devoted herself to helping others, whatever their needs may be. When she wasn’t cooking, cleaning, tending to flowers, or sewing something, you may find her running errands or maybe responding to a call from school to pick up one of her granddaughters if they were sick. She had the special touch to make them feel better. The ladies in the front office at school all knew who Mamaw was. Doris was truly a one-of-a-kind personality. She had an interesting sense of humor, a tad of quirkiness and often a strange pronunciation of the English language. Doris had a stubborn streak like her father and enjoyed picking on everyone. Her stories, told with a straight face, were more often than not outlandish and left bystanders in stitches chuckling. Some left with questioning expressions to figure out if what she was telling them to be true or not. Many of us looked forward to Christmas time for Doris’ sweet treats most notably her divinity. Doris had a way of making everything exceptional. It may have been because she sprinkled so much love in everything she did. That love is what we will miss the most.  The family would also like to express their sincere appreciation to the Staff at Grace Health and Rehab for the loving care of our Mother and Grandmother. A private memorial will be held next week and then she will be laid to rest at Joiner Family Cemetery in Loranger.