Bessie Coleman Hatcher

Mrs. Bessie Coleman Hatcher, 55, of Blytheville went to be with the Lord Friday, March 2, 2012, at Great River Medical Center. She was born April 2, 1956, to Arthur and Tommie Lee Coleman. Bessie was a retired nurse and homemaker. She graduated from Sierra Business College in Los Angeles, Calif., with her nursing degree. She had also worked at Borg Warner for a few years. She was a member of the Ruddle Road Church of God in Blytheville.

Bessie met her husband, Derrie, when they both worked at Borg Warner, and her car wouldn't start. He worked on her car, got it started, and so began a beautiful relationship of almost 17 years. He says that she was one of a kind, she is irreplaceable.

Her son, Terence, says that she loved to read her Bible and talk about Jesus. She was very patient and long-suffering; she had the ability to smile and let things go, even when things went wrong. She was also very forgiving and slow to anger.

Her daughter in law, Janice, says that she was a very sweet, kind lady who would do anything for anybody. They often talked on the phone and prayed together.

She was an avid reader of all kinds of books, but her favorite was her Bible. She loved to witness and often gave crosses and other Christian mementos to people. She was a generous person who was always ready to share food with those in need.

Her hobbies included working in the yard and helping her husband with the garden. She used to go fishing with her husband until she saw a snake and that ended her fishing trips.

In addition to her parents, Arthur and Tommie Lee Coleman, she was preceded in death by five brothers, Arthur Jr., Robert James, Donald, Ronnie and Maurice; and three sisters, Ella Mae, Georgia Mae and Costella.

She is survived by her husband, Derrie M. Hatcher of Blytheville;

One son, Terence Sullivan and his wife, Janice, of Clarksdale, Miss.;

Four brothers, Joseph Coleman of Grand Junction, Tenn, Stanley (and Charlene) Coleman of Chicago, David (and Hattie) Coleman of Kennett, Mo., Moses (and Clara) Coleman of Manchester, Mo.;

Seven sisters, her twin, Betty Webb of Blytheville, Gladys Clark of Memphis, Delores (and Gordon) Butler of Sauk Village, Ill.; Christine Massie of Collinsville, Ill., Eva (and John) Springs of Anaheim, Calif., Carolyn (and John) Rogers of Los Angeles and Darlene Coleman-Jones of Hawthorne, Calif.;

One grandson, Marty James Sullivan of Conway; and

A step-daughter, Janet Hatcher of Blytheville.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday the at Carney Funeral Home with Rev. Ivory Diamond and the Rev. George Webb officiating.

Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at Carney Funeral Home with burial following int Carney Cemetery. Condolences can be offered at www.carneyfuneralhome.com