Mrs. Bessie Lea Bennett

On December 4, 1940, in Marble, Arkansas, a beautiful baby entered into this world to Rachel Emma and Clyde Everett Fredrick. Now back in those days midwives would delivers babies. The midwife that helped deliver this little bundle was blind in one eye and practically couldn’t see out of the other, bless her heart. Due to her declaration immediately after the birth, the sweet baby’s parents lovingly chose the name John Henry. Now John Henry is a rather nice name, but pretty soon it became apparent that it wasn’t quite appropriate for this child. He was a she. And so a new name was settled on. Bessie Lea Fredrick.

Bessie was one of 6 siblings. Anyone who knew Bessie knows that she was so full of overwhelming compassion, and that’s how she was as a child. She was a caretaker to her siblings, always ready to receive discipline for their mishaps. She didn’t want to see them sad or hurt. She was a protector.

Bessie attended school with a handsome young fellow named Alonzo “Boogie” Bennett. As young teenagers they fell in love and before too long they married. Boogie was in the Army and Bessie worked at Sears for a short period of time. She eventually had 4 babies, and sadly, she miscarried another. She loved staying home and raising her children. She once had dreams of becoming a nurse. She was Made to take care of others. After she had her children, Linda, Sherrie, Ramona, and Mark she found her true calling was to be a wife and Mama, and later a Grandma, and later still a Great-Grandma. She was so blessed to have one son, 3 daughters, 17 grandchildren, and 21 great grandchildren. She was the absolute best Wife, Mother, and Grandmother.

Bessie was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease in her mid twenties. That was just the beginning of a long life of physical struggles as a result of that terrible disease. She suffered cysts on her kidneys and liver, high blood pressure, aortic dissection, brain aneurisms, and arterial fibrillation, among many other things. She lived on dialysis until she was blessed with a kidney transplanted from one of her loving daughters, the only one of her children who did not inherit the disease. During her many years of struggling with the symptoms of PKD, her daughter, Linda, also had to fight for her life as well. She gained her freedom from PKD in 2006 when she found her place with God.

Although day to day living was often difficult and tiring for Bessie, she continued to do all that she could to be a blessing to those around her. She once took in a child who was terminally ill and cared for him. Bessie and Boogie began attending the Mabank church of Christ around 1981 where they have been members since. She always attended when she was able and was a beautiful example to others of God’s children.

After over 20 years, Bessie’s transplanted kidney began to fail and she, once again, needed to live on dialysis. She spent many, many years in and out of the hospitals with Boogie always at her side caring for her. They celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary on October 25, 2014 in the hospital together.

From the time Bessie first put on Jesus as her Savior, to her last breath, she lived with the goal of meeting Jesus. On Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at 2:48 a.m. she was given the highest honor of being called Home to live with Him.