Elizabeth Lee Bellenger Simmons

“Bessie”

September 14, 1935 – September 7, 2026

Elizabeth Lee Bellenger Simmons, affectionately known as Bessie, passed away peacefully at home in Mobile, Alabama, on September 7, 2026, surrounded by her children and family. A devoted mother, gifted educator, and vibrant community member, Bessie lived a life defined by love of family, commitment to service, and an enduring Catholic faith.

Born on September 14, 1935, in Gadsden, Alabama, to Edgar Lee and Mary Beulah Hill Bellenger, Bessie was one of five daughters. She was educated at the Roman Catholic Maryvale Preparatory School in Brooklandville, Maryland, from 1950 to 1951. In 1951 she transferred to Villa Duchesne School in St. Louis, Missouri, where she was taught by the nuns of the Sacred Heart and graduated in 1953.

Bessie began her undergraduate studies at the University of Alabama in 1953 and joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, where she held several leadership positions, including Treasurer. She earned membership in Phi Alpha Theta (History), Sigma Tau Delta (English), and Mortar Board, the premier national honor society recognizing college seniors for outstanding scholarship, leadership, and service. She graduated in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She continued graduate study in the Department of History at the University of Alabama for an additional year while beginning her teaching career at Disque High School in Gadsden. In 1979 she earned a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of South Alabama.

As a teacher in the Mobile County Public Schools, Bessie was beloved by her students for her kind yet disciplined classrooms. In 1980 she was named Teacher of the Year at Baker High School and recognized as a Master Teacher by the Mobile County School Board.

Bessie was married to Thomas Todd Martin, Jr., of Mobile, and later to Clarence Simmons, Jr., of Gadsden. She raised six children in Mobile and also lived for several years in Jefferson, Marengo County, Alabama, before returning to Mobile, where she spent the remainder of her life.

Throughout her life Bessie served in leadership roles and gave generously of her time to the communities where she lived. In Mobile she was a longtime member of the Junior League of Mobile and served on its Board of Directors. In Gadsden she belonged to The Mystery Ball Club, The Nine-O’clock Club, and The Regency Club. While in Jefferson she was a member and president of The Reading Club, the Over Forty Dance Club, and the Twenty-One Lunch Club. In Mobile she was a member of four mystic societies. Naturally charismatic and social, Bessie loved music, dancing, and lively conversation shared with family and friends over good food and drink, always with a ready sense of humor. A lifelong fan of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, she spent many fall Saturdays cheering for her beloved team alongside dear friends.

Bessie was a devoted Catholic, a member of the Daughters of Mary, and rarely missed Sunday Mass or a holy day of obligation, no matter where she lived.

Bessie passed away at home in Mobile on September 7, 2026, comforted by a prayer blanket given by her brothers and sisters in the Catholic faith.

She was preceded in death by three of her sisters: Mary Bellenger McDonald, Sallie Bellenger Christopher and Nancy Bellenger Mulvaney.

Bessie is survived by her six children, who loved her dearly: Thomas Todd Martin III of Mobile (Mary); James Martin of Mobile (Kathy); Elizabeth Martin Wilhelm of Mobile; Mary Martin Quill of Roswell, Georgia (Richard); Aline Martin Satterwhite of Mobile (Harry); and Lee Bowen Martin of Mobile. She is also survived by her sister, Beulah (“Bee”) Bellenger Cooper of Tuscaloosa, Alabama; sixteen grandchildren; and thirty-one great-grandchildren, all of whom adored her.

The Rosary will be prayed at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, to be followed by visitation at 2:00 p.m., and a Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 3:00 p.m. Burial will follow at a later date in Forest Cemetery in Gadsden.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Ignatius Catholic Parish or the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged, Inc.

May she rest in peace.