She was born to the late Glenn and Mary Whitcomb on May 2, 1942.
Bessie was a loving mother and Christian. She was devoted to her husband of 47 years, Grady Richison, Jr. He remained by her side to the end.
Bessie was preceded in death by two sons, Jeffrey Curtis Harden and Steven Calvin Harden. She is survived by one sister, Juanita Hardin, (AR); her daughter and son-in-law, Joyce and Gilbert Gordon III, (VA); her daughter, Marie Richison (AR); her daughter, Sarah Cornell (KS); two sons, Grady Richison III and Lance Richison, (OK); a daughter-in-law, Anita Harden, (OK); grandchildren in Arkansas, Georgia, Virginia and Montana; and countless family and friends who considered her their “Grandma Bessie.” They will never forget her tenacity, wit, resourcefulness, creativity, charm, feisty spirit that matched her feisty red hair, and undying love for them.
Dust will gather in mailboxes across the country where her cards, letters and notes of encouragement have been delivered with remarkable consistency over the years. As we say goodbye, we repeat the words she wrote to all of us so many times, “Good job! You did it! We are proud of you! We love You! We miss you!”
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.17