Doris Donnell Mezick

Doris Donnell Mezick, a lifelong resident of Clayhatchee Alabama, passed away Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at Westside Terrace Nursing Home. She was 98 years old.

Resting place is at Providence Baptist Church Cemetery in Chayhatchee, Alabama. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made by giving to charities. Doris was passionate about, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Wiregrass Area Food Bank.

Doris Mezick was born August 12, 1927, to Mark Twain Donnell and Inez Baxter. She was raised on her family's farm in Clayhatchee, Alabama. Born during the Great Depression, and living to be 98, Doris witnessed much change to American history in her lifetime. Her life story is a great reflection of a changing world.

Upon graduation from Auburn Polytechnic Institute (Auburn University) with a degree in Education, Doris served as an educator in the Dale County school system for many decades. She taught science, home economics, and served as a student integration coordinator in the 1960s & 70s.

Upon retirement from the school system, Doris inherited the Mark Donnell Sand Company from her brother, Mark "Pete" Donnell Jr. With the help of business manager, Bernard Wiggins, Doris successfully ran the sand mine for 40 years, and became a very esteemed and respected businesswoman in the south Alabama construction community.

Mrs. Mezick carried on her family's legacy of owning and operating Mark Donnell Farm in Dale County. She also owned Concrete Incorporated, a Dothan, AL concrete mixing plant, for many years. Doris enjoyed 1940s "Big Band" swing music, which was always playing throughout her home on her beloved Bose radios. Passionate about fabrics and textiles, Doris hand sewed her own clothing her entire life. Famous for her "uniform:" a colorful shirt style dress, hundreds are now preserved as a collection keepsake.

When she wasn't crafting needlepoint and cross stitch, she could be found cooking delicious southern comfort food. Taught how to cook by her beloved childhood nanny, Lena, Doris expressed her affection through lemon cheesecake, buttery yeast rolls, fried chicken, and blackberry cobbler, a few crowd favorites...amongst so many other southern delicacies. Her talent in the kitchen will be missed. Every morning, Mrs. Mezick's driveway was loaded with local and national newspaper deliveries, and she read them all. When she wasn't reading the news, she enjoyed reading a wide variety of political autobiographies. Popular in her community for discussing politics and history, Doris believed the best perspective to have was a fair and balanced one.

She'll be remembered for trading local vegetables with neighbors, writing letters to friends, and making others laugh. Her disciplined and serious work ethic changed the trajectory of many lives around her, and her generosity is felt widely throughout her community.

She is preceded in death by her daughter, Elaine Mezick Martin.

She is survived by her granddaughter, Olivia Alexis Martin.