Mary Littlejohn Belser

Mary Littlejohn Belser, of Auburn, Alabama, passed away peacefully on Thursday, December 11, 2025, following a brief illness at East Alabama Medical Center.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years, Dr. Thomas A. Belser Jr.; her mother, Mary Rose Littlejohn; and her father, Dr. Wilmot Shipp Littlejohn.

She is survived by her daughters, Elizabeth Rose Belser Hurst (David) and Katherine Margaret Belser Donovan; her grandchildren, Adam Lee McPheeters, Mary Elizabeth Hurst Reed (Christopher), and Leisa Rose Hurst Mangan (Aaron); and her great-grandchildren, Aidan William McPheeters, Emmett Alexander Reed, Amelia Clair Reed, and Oliver Christopher Reed.

Mary was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on June 20, 1931. She graduated from Ramsay High School and earned her bachelor’s degree from Sweet Briar College, followed by a master’s degree from George Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. She began her teaching career instructing remedial English at Southern Union College and later held a tenured faculty position at Tuskegee University.

In her spare time, Mary enjoyed writing poetry, gardening, and traveling with her husband. She was a devoted member of St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, where she served on the vestry and was a member of the altar guild for more than 50 years.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, 136 E. Magnolia Avenue, Auburn, Alabama. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the CARE Humane Society at http://carehumane.org