Bessie Marie Willingham Jackson

Family visitation will be from 5 to 7 PM, Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at Bratcher Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be 10 AM, Thursday, July 30, 2015 at River Pointe Assembly of God, formerly First Assembly of God, 1710 Woodlawn Blvd in Denison with Rev. Herlin R. Summers officiating.

Bessie was born Tuesday, October 17, 1916 to John & Leyce Willingham in Savoy, TX. She attended Savoy Schools and graduated from Savoy High School in 1937. She married Vernon Lee Jackson in 1937 and they started their family in Denison where they raised two children and where Bessie worked and retired from Kresses in Sherman and Kingston Drug in Denison. Bessie lived at the Renaissance Retirement Center in Sherman for the last 3 ½ years and the Renaissance Assisted Living for the last 6 months.

Bessie loved her family very much, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were especially important to her as she was very proud of them. She was avid in her church where she taught Bible classes and Sunday school for more than 60 years. In her younger years she loved flowers and to garden at her home. She was a true inspiration to her family and will be greatly missed.

She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Faye Velma Lynch, Ruby Ellen Walker and Audree May Willingham.

She is survived by son Boyce Duane Jackson and wife Ladessia of Bellevue, WA; daughter Carol Lee Jones and husband Jim F. of Sherman, TX; sister Hazel Ellen Randolph of McKinney, TX; grandchildren Jimmy Steven Jones & wife Patty of Denison, TX; Randall Lee Jones and wife Barbara of Simi Valley, CA; great-grandchildren, Stephanie Holloway & husband Derrick; Ashley Nicole Hayes & husband Jake and Nicole Emilee Jones; great great-grandchildren Riley Holloway, Logan Holloway, Cooper Hayes and Hunter Hayes.