Annie Bess Roberts Hinton

Annie Bess Roberts Hinton, 101, died at Hospice Ministries in Ridgeland on August 30, 2016. She was a resident of the Waterford Retirement Community on Highland Colony Parkway in Ridgeland. Annie Bess was blessed with a heart filled to the brim with compassion and generosity, which endeared her to all who knew her, including the staff and residents at the Waterford. She saw only the good in people, loved everyone she met and warmed their hearts with her infectious smile. As a result, she touched so many lives and helped so many people. She was a member of Saint Andrews Episcopal Cathedral, and served lovingly and faithfully on the Cathedral’s Altar Guild for several years. Annie Bess loved the Lord and exhibited this love through her undying faith and her unconditional love for her neighbor.

Visitation will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 2, 2016 at Parkway Funeral Home on Highland Colony Parkway. Funeral services will follow at 11:00 a.m. A graveside service will be held at 3:30 p.m. at Greenwood Cemetery in West Point, Mississippi.

She was born in West Point, Mississippi on May 18, 1915, the first child of Fred and Bess Roberts. She was preceded in death by her parents, beloved husband, Robert Wood Hinton, III, sisters, Helen Roberts Sutphen and Sarah Roberts Foster, brother Fred Roberts, Jr., a niece, Sarah Ann Welch and nephew, Robert Foster. She is survived by nephews, Fred Galloway of Columbus, Bob Hinton of Santa Fe, NM, Dick Hinton of Knoxville, TN, Terry Hinton of Marks, MS, Marshall and Jack Sutphen of Greenwood, MS, Tommy Foster of Fairhope, AL and their families. She is also survived by a sister-in-law Sara Moseley Roberts of West Point, nieces Julia Vance of Charlotte, NC, Marilyn Hinton Hammond of Baton Rouge, LA, a number of grandnieces and grandnephews, Several great, great, nieces and nephews, cousins, a Godchild Judy Dyson Qualls of Madison, MS two special soul mates, Tommy and Yvonne Dyson of Jackson, MS and a multitude of friends.

She was a graduate of West Point High, Delta State Teachers College, (where she was selected “Best Dressed” by the student body) and earned her Masters of Library Science at George Peabody College. While pursuing her LS Degree, she also did undergraduate work at the University of North Carolina and University of Alabama and graduate work at Columbia University.

At an early age, she discovered the public library in West Point and met a very special librarian who recognized Annie Bess’s innate love for books and reading. This encounter led to Annie Bess’s long and fulfilling career in providing library service. She served as librarian at Shaw and Clarksdale high schools, the U.S. Air Force Base in Meridian, MS, the University of Alabama, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Library Commission and the Mississippi Department of Education. Before her retirement from the Mississippi Department of Education, she developed one of the first Professional Libraries for Education in the United States. A vast number of educators across the state earned graduate and post-graduate degrees with Annie Bess’s help in conducting their education research. She helped implement ERIC, a national center for the collection of educational data. She retired from the MDE in 1980 concluding 40 years of providing library service to many individuals.

For 28 years, she was a faithful member of the Magnolia State Chapter, NSDAR. The Chapter presented her with a certificate of appreciation on the occasion of her 100th birthday celebration at the Waterford. She was a member or former member of several bridge and luncheon clubs in the Jackson area, including Cosmos Luncheon Club, Le Mercredi Bridge-Luncheon Club, Casual Club and Maids and Matrons. She was also a member of Jackson’s Book Review Club where her flair for giving unique book reviews made her a favorite with the members. She gave her time as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society and as a docent for the Governor’s Mansion. She was indeed a “people person” and will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Saint Andrews Episcopal Cathedral, Jackson, MS.