Mary Elizabeth Brannen Anderson passed away from earth to heaven on Saturday, December 2, 2023, at Southern Manor at Candler. She was surrounded by loving family, friends and caregivers all day. Those who were unable to be with her remembered her in prayer.
Elizabeth suffered for several years with dementia and most recently a couple of low blood sugar incidents and respiratory distress that left her unresponsive.
Throughout her life, even in times of illness, she loved God. She also loved to sing hymns. Any time there was a gathering of people, she would say, “We need to sing!”
However, as her dementia progressed, she quit mentioning that we should sing. Then, just a few weeks ago, she suddenly said, “We need to sing a song. … Let’s sing, “The Lord Has Been So Good to Me.”
How sweet it was that when she remembered her love of singing, it was this hymn!
Elizabeth was born on February 14, 1944, in Statesboro, Georgia, to Floyd and Mary Maude Mixon Brannen.
She had one sister, Nadyne Brannen Harville (Rodney); and two brothers, Floyd Wendell (Brenda) and Phillip Michael Brannen (Jill), who was born when she was a senior in high school. She loved him as if he were her own child!
She graduated from Marvin Pittman Laboratory School in 1962. The school and her classmates were very special to her. She always felt like they were family.
Through the years, Elizabeth worked at several jobs. She was a telephone operator and then the secretary in the principal’s office at Marvin Pittman Laboratory School. She was a teacher’s aide at Mattie Lively Elementary School and she helped with registration at Georgia Southern College.
The positions she loved most, however, were those of being a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and homemaker.
On August 20, 1965, Elizabeth married her husband of 58 years, Lavone O. Anderson. They were filled with love and devotion for one another to the very end and they were a wonderful example of a godly marriage. They worked together, supported one another, laughed and cried together, and they had fun.
Elizabeth helped Lavone every way she could as he pastored the churches he was sent to. They loved being together and they loved their family.
They had two children, Tamela Denise Anderson Smith (Danny) and Bradley (Brad) Lavone Anderson, who passed away earlier this year.
When Tamela married Danny Smith, she was so happy to have him in the family and she loved him as much as she did her own children. Brad was married to Karla Lewis Anderson, but sadly, they divorced. However, Karla has remained a loving and devoted “daughter-in-law” to Elizabeth and Lavone. She is very much loved and will always be a part of their family.
Elizabeth dearly loved her three grandchildren, Austin Lewis Anderson (Alicia), Elijah Daniel Smith and Joshua Andrew Smith; and her great-granddaughter, Evelyn Rose Anderson. She loved being with them every minute she could, and she loved spoiling them as much as possible. Some of their fondest memories of their Grandma Anderson are that there were always snacks and her milkshakes were wonderful! She would almost always make them one when they wanted one.
She played board games with them … Candyland and Scrabble. She played ping pong with them in the Thomaston, Georgia, pastorium basement.
She planned family trips to Jekyll Island every year and various other day trips. She reportedly always knew when they were up to something, and she always seemed to know who was at fault when something happened.
Elizabeth loved people and especially children.
No matter how busy or tired she was, if there was a need in her church or among family or friends, she would make time to make a meal -- or at least a dish -- or she would help in whatever way was needed.
If she told you she would do something, she would.
She was very gifted with writing notes and poems, and she loved sending them to her family and friends. People often commented that they felt like they needed to send her a thank you note for her thank you notes. Her children and grandchildren lovingly referred to the letters she wrote them for all special occasions as “epistles.”
She was always the family photographer. She was very organized and had dozens of photo albums and scrapbooks.
Her love, her hugs, her smile, her care, made everything okay, even when things weren’t all okay.
Elizabeth had several nieces and nephews whom she loved very much.
She was predeceased by her parents, Floyd and Mary Maude Brannen; and her son, Bradley Lavone Anderson.
Visitation will be held at Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, from 1 to 3 p.m. with the funeral service following in the chapel at Joiner-Anderson at 3 p.m. Interment will be at the Middleground Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery.
The services will be officiated by Elders Lee Chambers, W.H. Durrence, Dean Robbins and Mike Newman.
Pallbearers will be Austin Anderson, Tracy Anderson, Elder Dean Robbins, Elijah Smith and Joshua Smith.
Honorary pallbearers will be Primitive Baptist ministers and wives.
The family requests that memorial contributions be made to Brooklet Primitive Baptist Church, 111 West Lee Street, Brooklet, Georgia 30415; or the Middleground Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, c/o Gail Smith, 321 Sam Tillman Road, Statesboro, GA 30458.
“Jesus said unto her, I am the Resurrection, and the Life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?” John 11:25-26
Friends may sign the online register book at www.joineranderson.com.
Joiner-Anderson Funeral Home & Crematory of Statesboro is in charge of the arrangements.
Statesboro Herald, December 5, 2023
Sign the Legacy online guestbook at www.statesboroherald.com.