Mrs. Bessie Mae Nealous

COLUMBIA - Bessie Mae Nealous affectionately known by family and friends as ‘Bet’ was called home on Sunday, April 10, 2016, in Valrico, Florida. A funeral service will be held on Monday, April 18, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at Dunbar Funeral Home Northeast Chapel with burial following at Fort Jackson National Cemetery. Friends and family may visit with the family from 10:00 a.m. at the funeral home. Bessie Mae Nealous was born on February 13, 1937, in Newberry, South Carolina to the late Malverse and Kittie Elvira Schumpert Jackson. Bessie was the wife of the late Theodore “Slim” Roosevelt Nealous for over four decades. Bessie is preceded in death by her husband, her parents and her sisters Dorothy Nell Jackson and Helen Schumpert Booker. Bessie was a loving wife and devoted mother to her eight children. She worked side by side with Slim to provide for their family as an entrepreneur of several small businesses. Bessie’s greatest joys were cooking, gardening and talking every day to several members of her family. An inspiring and memorable description of Bessie from a family friend was “she was a woman who kept things flowing smoothly in her household; she was a loving mother, supporting wife, balanced business woman, and judge, jury and executioner. She will always and forever be remembered in our hearts and soul”. To keep her spirit alive, is her eight children Teresa Nealous, of North Augusta, SC; Ernestine Nealous Hamilton (Oscar) of Summerfield, FL; Steve Jackson of Hempstead, NY; Theodore Nealous Jr. of Queens, NY; Brenda Jackson of New York City, NY; Toni Nealous of Jamaica, NY; Tina Nealous of Valrico, FL; and Robin Nealous of Valrico, FL. Bessie is also survived by her eight grandchildren; Tonya, Michael, Cheryl, Corey, Steve Jr., Tina M., Neishia, and Laki; seven great-grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren; two sisters; Eugenia Jackson-Bridgett (Joseph) of Ahoskie, NC and Patricia Jackson of Newberry, SC and one brother Malverse Jackson (Rhonda) of Cleveland, OH, and a host of caring nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and friends. Bessie was a loving and caring person who loved to feed everyone. Bessie leaves our earthly lives a better place because she shared her life with ours. Please sign the online guest book at www.dunbarfunerals.com.