Miriam Addie Brown DuRant, Hartwell, GA, joined her husband Billy in God's Heavenly Kingdom on Friday, February 5, 2016. She passed away while in Lawton, OK where she was on an extended visit with her sons and daughters-in-law.
Born January 24, 1932 on her family's farm in Hartwell to Raymond Clyde and Lou Addie Peek Brown, Miriam grew up loving animals, family, friends, and God. She attended Sardis School, graduated from Hart County High School, and attended North Georgia College for two years where she was majoring in home economics. She married Lieutenant Billy Covington DuRant in 1950, and served her family, the U.S. Army, and her country for nearly thirty years as an active and dedicated military wife.
Miriam taught in Hart County Schools during her husband's deployment to Korea and later during his deployment to Vietnam. Always an adventurer, Miriam enthusiastically embraced every moment of military life. She served as a director for the Red Cross, taught Sunday school, and volunteered in countless other ways while raising two sons. Although Miriam enjoyed living in military communities including Alaska, France, Korea, and other stateside assignments, she considered Hartwell her home and she was pleased when she and Billy returned.
She spent hours working in her gardens and was an active member of the Hart County Garden Club. She took an active role in the ladies' auxiliary at Sardis Baptist Church and later become a charter member of Cornerstone Baptist Church where she continued her service as a Sunday School teacher and volunteer.
Known for her skills in the kitchen, Miriam baked and cooked for anyone with an appetite. Her cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, and breads were among her specialties.
Miriam not only fed family, friends, and any stranger that happened by, she also fed cats. She loved her cat companions and people often remarked that the cat that ended up on Miriam's lap was a lucky feline indeed. Her cat, Tessie, is staying in Lawton with family.
Miriam joins in Heaven not only Billy, but her mother and father, her brother Zack, and many other family members and dear friends. She is survived by two sons and daughters-in-law; Donald and Zoe DuRant of Lawton, OK; and Brian and Maureen DuRant of Medicine Park, OK; also surviving, her grandson Zack DuRant, his wife Stephanie, and great-granddaughter Zosia Miriam of Atlanta, GA; and her grandson Colin DuRant of San Francisco, CA.
She is also survived by her cousin Wendell Brown, his wife Emily, and their daughters Elizabeth and Wendy; and many other relatives and devoted friends.
The family requests that memorial gifts be made to Cornerstone Baptist Church, Hartwell, GA.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, March 12 at 12:00 noon at the Cornerstone Baptist Church and she will be buried with Billy Monday, March 14 at 1:00 p.m. at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, GA.
The body is at the Strickland Funeral Home of Hartwell, where the family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday evening.The family requests that memorial gifts be made to Cornerstone Baptist Church, 1543 Anderson Hwy, Hartwell, GA 30643.
The Strickland Funeral Home of Hartwell is in charge of all arrangements.