Doris Faye Ates

Funeral services for Mrs. Doris Faye Ates, age 78 of Bernice, LA, will be held at 2:00 PM, Friday, June 20, 2025 at First Baptist Church in Bernice with Bro. Steve Barrett and Bro. Reagan Colvin officiating. Interment will follow at Bernice City Cemetery under the direction of Farrar Funeral Home. 

Doris was born in California where her dad worked in the logging industry. When her father became ill the family moved to Louisiana to be near her mothers’ family. She grew up in Jigger and attended school at Fort Necessity where she graduated in 1965. Her parents reared over 56 foster children throughout the years and they depended on her to help with preparing meals, baby bottles and washing clothes and cleaning and looking after the children. She had a sister born when she was 7 years old and then a brother 7 years after that.  She grew up in a very strict home and was of the Pentecostal faith.  She always wanted to attend nursing school but her father wanted her to go to business school. She moved to Monroe to go to Bishe Mathis Institute of Business where she graduated. It was there that she met Charles on a blind date, fell in love and they soon married on December 1, 1966.  Their first and only son named Tommy was born on February 17, 1968 whom they were so proud of. Ten days short of a year later on February 7, 1969 along came Connie, she told Charles “If this is the way married life was gonna be she wasn’t prepared for that.”  On September 3, 1975 their miracle baby Angelia was born and that completed their family of five.  When her children started school, she was always very involved with school activities as a room mother, sporting activities, fall open house, etc.  She became a Girls Scout leader for Troop 757 at the Silver Waters.  She had the biggest troop in the area and she was so proud of her troop.  Her Troop exceeded above any other group in sales of girl scout cookies, their completed project books and the group attending camps.  She always loved attending camp with the church groups as a counselor with her children and grandchildren.  She was a church secretary and was active in their WMU, church choir and nursing home ministry. Charles was in utility construction field all of their married lives and she was his number one supporter. They decided to sale their home in West Monroe and move to Bernice in 1985 to start a utility construction business.  Charles went in business with James, his brother and they made Bernice their lifelong home. Charles and Doris decided in 1987 they would venture out and open Charles Ates Construction, Inc. and she put her skills to work as the office manager. They helped their children to start Diamond A. Construction, Inc. They traveled a lot all over the state of Louisiana and Arkansas where Charles put in commercial water systems for towns. Charles worked a lot of late nights and Doris would always want to have a hot meal ready when he got home.  She always joked by saying a microwave saved their marriage.  She loved keeping the home fires burning by canning vegetables, making jellies, sewing, crocheting, quilting, and doing special things for her family.  Doris loved her entire extended family as Charles had 6 brothers and 7 sisters and numerous nieces and nephews. She loved spending time at Lake Claiborne with her family by sharing some awesome meals, riding on their party barge especially during the 4th of July parade, playing Farkle which was a “family competition” and she was crowned the family Farkle queen a few times, and fishing with her sisters-in law and brothers-in-law. She loved her Yorkies named Buttons and Susan, her kitty cats and her great-grand dog Toot Toot.  She enjoyed traveling along side her husband Charles, the Yesterday’s Youngsters Group, Frances Tours and Temple Baptist Church.  They toured Israel where they renewed their vows and exchanged Hebrew rings.  She was baptized in the Jordan River and she talked about that being highlight of her life and shared with everyone she encountered.  She thoroughly enjoyed taking her children and grandchildren on trips using her timeshare they had invested in.  They had traveled the entire United States by car, bus, boat or plane as well as The Cayman Islands, Jamacia, Cozumel and The Great lakes. So many good memories will always be cherished that they shared together. Doris loved spending time with her family, but the real apple of her eye was grandchildren and then her absolute joy was her great grandchildren, Sawyer, Isaac and Adaline Rose.  She loved going shopping with her granddaughters Amber, Madison & Anna. She enjoyed taking her grandsons out to eat and hearing about their day.  She prayed for them each daily. She enjoyed her adult coloring books and sharing her creations with everyone from nurses & doctors at hospitals, to friends that came by to visit with her. She always wanted to make everyone feel special and loved. If you ever came to her house, you were going to leave with a small token of her love and be offered a plate of food the moment you walked in the door.  She and Charles both loved to open their home to others anytime but especially holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, July 4th and birthdays. Charles would call the neighborhood up and any person that didn’t have someone to spend the holiday with was invited to come and eat or he would take them a plate. Doris was always on a mission to fill those pots and pans.  She loved her special neighbors James & Joy Dickey, Hank & Margeann Warden, Ed & Ann Smith, Fred & Doris Marsh and the four parsonages surrounding their home was always full of wonderfulness.  She loved to provide things others may have needed but she wanted to remain discreet. She enjoyed packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas child and the Navajo Indians.  She was blessed to go on several special mission trips to South Louisiana and Mexico. She attended along with her two daughters and graduated from floral design school at ULM and in 2000, and helped open Generations Flowers and Gifts in Bernice where her daughter Connie continues to service the Bernice area still today. She was able to attend a course at Faith Bible Institute and graduated after three years of studies and her trip to Israel brought the Bible to life when they traveled there.   She grew up using the King James version Bible but the very last Bible she carried with her everywhere the “New International Bible” was presented to her by Bro. Steve Barrett and Pine Grove Baptist Church. Her favorite bible verse was Proverbs 31:10-31 (The Virtuous Woman) and Ephesians 3:20-21 (Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus until all generations forever and ever. Amen.) Doris graduated with multiply degrees and certifications from Light University in Biblical Counseling and Caring for People God’s Way.  Doris and Charles loved to listen to gospel and country music and attend shows and concerts especially at the churches nearby and in Branson Missouri. She loved Elvis Presley, The Gaither’s, Jimmy Swaggart and watched Son Broadcasting Network when she was not able to leave the house to attend church services.  When her health began to fail her earthly body she became so frustrated because she couldn’t do the things she had always done before.  She missed her dear friends Martha Kelley, Ann Comfort and Eloise Glover. She loved her caregivers that became like her family but a few that stood out in her mind were Sandra Pryor, Lynn Hester, Vaneeka Rollings, Kristina Scarborough, Joey Patton Amaya, Tae Simmons, Morgan Booth, Stephanie Colvin, Dena Palmer and Carolyn Williams.  The family would like to extend their appreciation to Dr. Brian Harris, Dr. Daniel Thompson, Reeves Memorial Medical Center Nurses, Staff and Therapy Dept., Donna Rockett, Phillip Carroll, Audra George,  Willis Knighten Hospital, Glenwood Hospital, St Frances Hospital, Dr. Kevin Gallagher, Dr. Phillip Rozeman, Dr. Brent Figley, Dr. Jeffrey Lusk, Dr. Anumele, Dr. Frederick Lee, Dr. Sampognaro, Dr. Levatino, Dr. Coons, Dr. Jaganmohan, Dr. Miles Sugar, Arbor Lake Nursing & Rehab, Bernice Volunteer Fire Department, Best Home Health, Union Council on Aging, Pafford EMS & her special nurse and friend Ashley Verdin, her special friends Carolyn Roberts, Kathy Welch, Aline Westbrook, Cathy Thomas, Cathy Tucker Champion, Linda Smith Darden, Ann Brown, Donna Walton, Alma Montgomery, Jeanie McNeal, Debbie & Julie Christian, Hiedi Denham, Gail Terry, Judy Gray, Irene Milton, her church family at Pine Grove Baptist Church, Bro. Steve Barrett, First Baptist Church, Bro. Reagan Colvin. In lieu of flowers please make donations to St. Jude, Gideons, Pine Grove Baptist church or First Baptist Church in honor of her. She would want everyone to know that she cherished every moment she spent with you and she loved you very much and her last words to any conversation would be see you later & y’all be careful!!!   

Doris was preceded in death by her parents: Dallas Eliga and Melvie Ann Sales Hogue; father and mother-in-law: Charles and Fannie Mae Ates; brother in laws: James, Edward, John Oliver, Steve Ates, and James Shirley; sister in laws: Carolyn Ates (Keith Garner and Alford Miller), Betty Sue Primm (Robert), Edith Akin, and Linda Dodge.

She is survived by her husband of 59 years: Charles Ates; son: Tommy Ates (Robin); daughters: Connie Urrey (Wayne) and Angelia Harty (Robert); grandchildren: Christopher Ates (Hannah), Madison Benson (Beaux), Ethan Ates, Amber Wyatt (Claude), K.D. Urrey, Wesley Harty, and Anna Marie Harty; great grandchildren: Isaac Ates, Sawyer Urrey, and Adaline Ates; Brother: Eddie Hogue (Karen); sister: Frances Sales (Alan); sister in laws: Dorothy Mercer (Tommy), Darlene Smith (Mike), Charlene Evans (Billy Joe), Alice Ates, and Ann Ates; and brother in laws: Roy Ates (Gail), Wayne Ates (Leisa), Jeffery Dodge, and Dennis Akin.

Serving as pallbearers will be Wesley Harty, Christopher Ates, K.D. Urrey, Claude Wyatt, Beaux Benson, and Sawyer Urrey. Honorary pallbearers will be Tommy Mercer, Billy Joe Evans, Roy Ates, Mike Smith, Dennis Akins, and Wayne Ates.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Thursday, June 19, 2025 at First Baptist Church in Bernice.