Mary Louise Demoret Fiser

Mary Louise Demoret Fiser, 77, of Elaine, Arkansas passed away Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at her home. Mary Louise was born May 7, 1934 at Elaine to the late William and Mary Holtzclaw Demoret. She attended public school in Elaine through the 11th grade and elected to finish her senior year at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri where she continued and received her associate degree. She was a member of the Tri-Delta Sorority. Mary Louise received her BSBA degree in 1956, majoring in banking and finance from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She became president of Delta State Bank in Elaine after the death of her father in 1976 and remained in that position until the bank was sold in 2000. She always told the story that she opened and closed the doors at Delta State Bank for 50 years and six months. Mary Louise was a businesswoman and a philanthropist. She loved her town, county, state and country. She always said that she found her "diamonds in her own backyard." She taught Sunday School at the Elaine United Methodist Church for 40 years and also played the piano. She was a member of the board of directors for Southern Bancorp, president and manager of the Tri-County Fair which included Lee, Monroe, and Phillips counties, president of the Arkansas Fair Managers Association in 2003, and was a past member of the Phillips County Chamber of Commerce. She was a past member and served as president of Arkansas Delta Development (1984-1987) making many trips to Washington D.C. and New York City to secure the monies to fund the Helena Slack Water Harbor for future generations. Mary Louis also served as president of the Phillips County Historical Society and was a member of the board of trustees, now called Phillips County Community College Board visitors since associated with the University of Arkansas. She was an Arkansas Cancer Research Center UAMS foundation board member and Society of the Double Helix Foundation of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She was named 1981 Phillips County Citizen of the Year and received the Phillips County Bar Association Liberty Bell award in 1997. Mary Louise is survived by her husband, V. Poindexter Fiser of the home; a step-daughter, Kathy Grimes (George) of Bentonville, Arkansas; step-granddaughter, Ashley Brown (Cory) of Centerton, Arkansas; step-grandson, Jason Fiser Grimes (Amy); and step-great-grandson, Aiden Fiser Grimes of Fayetteville, Arkansas. She is also survived by cousins, A.B. Thompson of Marvell, Arkansas, Beth Thompson of Little Rock, Art and Kim Thompson and son, Henry of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Sharon Holtzclaw Hay (Tommy) and son, Mark Sullivan of McCrory, Arkansas, Durwood and Debbie King of Helena and their daughter, Trish of Memphis, Tennessee. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, William Demoret II who was killed in Austria the day before the end of WWII in 1945. Funeral services for Mary Louise Demoret Fiser will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, February 11, 2012 at Roller-Citizens Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Maple Hill Cemetery in Helena, Arkansas. Reverend Wendell Dorman and Reverend Richard Rogers will officiate. Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m., Friday, February 10, 2012 at Roller-Citizens. Pallbearers are Gene Johnson, Pat O'Bryant, Mark Phillips, Jerry Don Flynn, Ronnie White, Allen Dell Coates, James George, and James Tucker. Memorials may be sent to the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205. Services will be directed by Roller-Citizens Funeral Home, West Helena, (870) 572-2571. Online guestbook www.rollerfuneralhomes.com.