Doris Gossett

Doris Gossett of Lithonia passed away on October 21, 2017.  Born Annie Doris Burckhalter on June 25, 1922, and affectionately known as “Dee Dee”, she brought laughter and light into every moment of those around her. Doris’ greatest joy was her nieces and nephews, greats and great-greats.  We credit her with instilling in us her giving spirit and wanderlust -- be it along-side her husband, Tommy, as he spent time in Okinawa with the Army; a bus trip with her AARP club; or in her beloved camper, off to Disney World with several youngsters in tow. On any given afternoon, you could find Doris pitching a baseball game in her backyard; hosting an impromptu dance party in her living room; chasing kids around her house; regaling those same kids with stories from afar while eating homemade popsicles and rocking on her front porch; and instantly healing a scrape with a Band-Aid and a laugh. When lucky enough to spend an entire weekend with Dee Dee, it was Heaven-on-earth, filled with pranks, playing games and watching her Atlanta Braves.  She was the aunt who let you stay up to watch the Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas AND Falcon Crest when your parents would not!  

Doris had a green thumb, a golden skillet, and was a jokester at every turn. Her Lithonia yard was showered in every color of the rainbow, beaming with roses, azaleas and irises that brought her and passersby so much joy. She loved her flowers, and they magically thrived with just a sprinkle of water and nod from Doris. Her cooking could make any Southern chef blush; her table was adorned with every fresh vegetable imaginable, straight from the garden, and the best coleslaw in the state of Georgia.  When her homemade apple jelly ran out, you could close your eyes, and your mouth would water, just dreaming of next season’s batch. Doris, too, loved her animals, whether dogs, squirrels, or a stray cat. Bingo, Useless, and Benji often outranked those of us with only two feet, and, too, ate like kings.  

Her favorite song to sing was “I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck”, and at 95 she was still singing it. “Now, Doris, we sing it to you.” She joins husband, Tommy Gossett; brother, Herschel Burckhalter; parents, Andrew & Lorena Burckhalter; nephew, Jerry Burckhalter; and niece, Debbie Wood, up above. She lives on in Tommy & Alisa Burckhalter; Lisa Boren Sivy; Tiffany Alewine; Rebecca D’Angelo; Andrew Wood; Chad Burckhalter; Heather Burckhalter; Lucas & Christopher Sivy; Collette Alewine; Lucas, Charlotte & Landry Kate Burckhalter; and Fulton Pennell.  

The Visitation will be held at Memorial Park South in Flowery Branch, Georgia on Friday October 27^th from 6pm to 8pm. The Funeral will be Graveside on Saturday October 28^th, 11 am at Hillandale Cemetery in Lithonia, Georgia.

Memorial Park South Funeral Home, 4121 Falcon Parkway, Flowery Branch, Georgia  30542 is in charge of arrangements.  Send on-line condolences to www.memorialparkfuneralhomes.com.