Bessie
Hortense Reese was born on November 25, 1924. She was the last of
the Reese children to be born in Kenbridge, Virginia.
In 1925, the infant Bessie was brought to Montclair, and then Bloomfield, NJ- where the family settled on Vine Street. She was educated in the Bloomfield public school system.
In 1936, she was baptized in St. Paul's Baptist Church in Montclair. She later joined Union Baptist Church in Bloomfield, where she performed lead solos such as "He Knows How Much We Can Bear" and "Sending Up My Timber Every Day" as a member of the choir. Years later she returned to St. Paul's, where she remained a faithful member until her death.
On November 19, 1949, Bessie
married Norman Pinkard of Montclair. They were the proud parents of
one daughter, Debra Rae.
Bessie was a soft-spoken, sweet, and kindhearted woman who was always ready, willing and able to help out where she could. She was a welcome presence at the family home on Madison Avenue, where she could always be found sitting at the kitchen table enjoying the company of her sisters. Her testimony was "I am leaving it in God's hands."
Bessie passed away on January 21, 1989 in Montclair. She is survived by her daughter, Debra Rae Drew and two grandchildren: Norma and Jamie.
