Doris Clary Lesesne

Doris Clary Lesesne of Mount Pleasant, the recently retired office manager for Dockside Association, passed away peacefully after a brief illness on Sunday, August 11, 2019, with her family by her side at Roper Hospital Downtown.

The relatives and friends of Doris C. Lesesne are invited to attend her Funeral Service at 11:00 AM, Friday, August 16, 2019, at St. Andrew’s Church, Mount Pleasant. Burial will follow at Christ Church Cemetery, Mount Pleasant. The family will receive friends between 6:00 and 8:00 PM Thursday evening at the James A. McAlister Funeral Home, 1620 Savannah Highway. 

Mrs. Lesesne was born December 11, 1931, in Gaffney, SC, a daughter of the late Miles Vernon Clary and Mae Anthony Clary. She attended Limestone College and transferred to the University of South Carolina where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1954. After college Mrs. Lesesne was a legal secretary for a Columbia-based law firm. While visiting friends at a neighboring apartment complex, she met a man that would eventually win her heart. On May 20, 1961, Doris Clary became Mrs. Thomas Petigru Lesesne III in a double wedding ceremony with her younger sister, Mary Vernon Clary Rogers and beloved brother-in-law, James Lanham Rogers, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Lesesne moved to Montgomery, Alabama while Mr. Lesesne served as a judge advocate for the United States Air Force. While there, they had a son, Thomas Petigru Lesesne IV. In 1964, Mr. Lesesne entered private practice as an attorney and the family moved to The Old Village in Mount Pleasant. Soon after, Mr. & Mrs. Lesesne welcomed their daughter, Caroline Clary Lesesne, and their family was complete.

Mrs. Lesesne was an active member of St. Andrew’s Church where she sang in the choir for 55 years and was where she shared her gifts of flower arranging as a member of the flower guild. She was a widow member of The Carolina Yacht Club and an active member of The Ladies Benevolent Society. She was a founding member of the Ashley Hall Parents Association and the Mount Pleasant Cotillion. Her hobbies included raising her beloved orchids and other plants, playing the piano by ear, painting with watercolors, refinishing antiques, and rebuilding ceramic lamps, bowls, and such, sometimes just for the fun of it. Mrs. Lesesne had recently announced her retirement after 32 years as the office manager for Dockside Association in Charleston. Mrs. Lesesne was a role model for many, especially her two beloved children, and was known for her graciousness, her kindness, and her sense of humor.

Surviving Mrs. Lesesne are her two children, Thomas Petigru “Tommy” Lesesne IV and Caroline Clary Lesesne, both of Mount Pleasant; her sister, Mary Vernon Clary Rogers (Mrs. James L. Rogers, Jr.) of Mount Pleasant; her brothers-in-law, Henry Deas Lesesne of Ponte Vedra, Florida and Eugene Frost Lesesne of Mount Pleasant; Sister-in-law, Linda Lesesne also of Ponte Vedra; multiple cousins from her Anthony and Clary side; cousins-by-marriage, James Petigru and Susie Fant Lesesne; seven beloved nieces and their husbands; several great-nieces and nephews and her beloved four-legged babies, Lulu, her toy poodle and Alex, her cat. Mrs. Lesesne was predeceased by her parents; her husband, “Sonny”; her brother-in-law, “Jimmy” and sister-in-law, Anne Johnson Lesesne.

The family would like to thank the many nurses, patient techs, and physicians of Roper Hospital who cared for Mrs. Lesesne during her brief illness. Special thanks especially to Nurse Rhonda Epper of the SICU Downtown and Dr. Henry B. Ayiku of The Kidney Center of Charleston, as well as to the staff of the Roper Palliative Care team on the 5th floor of Roper Downtown. Additional thanks go to all the friends and family who prayed and supported Mrs. Lesesne and family during her illness.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions made be made to St. Andrew’s Church, 440 Whilden Street Mount Pleasant, South Carolina 29464, The Ladies Benevolent Society P. O. Box 21408 Charleston, South Carolina 29413, or a charity of one’s choice.