Bernice Harper Sutton passed away peacefully on April 24, 2026 at Magnolia Trace Retirement Community in Huntsville, Alabama. Daughter of Roy and Catherine Graves, and sister to Kenneth Joe Graves, all of whom preceded her in death, she lived most of her life in Huntsville. She was a 1950 graduate of West Huntsville High School.
She married Donald H. Harper in 1953 at Farley Church. Don was an aerospace engineer for Thiokol Corporation from 1955 until his retirement in 1989. They built one of the first houses in what became Lily Flagg subdivision and were founding members of Latham Methodist Church, to which they were very committed for the remainder of their lives. They welcomed two children into the family and were active in the kids’ athletic and academic endeavors.
After raising the children well into their teenage years, Bernice began a career in banking, first as a part-time teller with Central Bank and culminating with her retirement as a Vice-President for AmSouth Bank in 1994. She served for over a decade on the Board of Directors of the local food bank.
Lifelong supporters of Auburn University athletics, Don and Bernice were football season ticket holders for decades. After Don’s death in 2001, Bernice kept the season tickets and continued to attend virtually all home games and many away and bowl games, including the 2010 National Championship game, for the next 20 years as part of the “Golden Girls.”
Bernice is survived by her son, Dr. Jeff Harper (Cynthia); daughter, Susan Rockow (Frank); three grandchildren, William Harper, Amanda Harper Fisher (Gavin), and Allison Harper; and three great-granddaughters, Kennedy, Carolina, and Brynnlee.
Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Friday, May 1, 2026, at Latham Church. The funeral service will follow at 2:00 p.m. Burial will be in Maple Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory to Latham Church are most welcome
