Bessie Fay Wilson Reece, 92, of Chattanooga, died at Life Care Center of East Ridge, Tuesday, May 1, 2007.
A native of Chattanooga, Mrs. Reece was a member of Highland Park Baptist Church and attended Central High School.
She and her late husband, Millard B. Reece, Sr., owned and operated the Millard Reece Cafes in Chattanooga. They were longtime sponsors of Millard Reece Café Bowling team and a radio sponsor of the Chattanooga Lookouts Baseball Club.
Ms. Reece was the daughter of the late Ellen Elliot Wilson and David D. Wilson, Sr. She was the sister of the late Thomas Taylor Wilson, the late Robert Orlando Wilson, Frank Bell Wilson of Ft. Oglethorpe, Ga., David D. Wilson, East Ridge, Tn., the late Esther Lee Bonner, the late Ethel Marie Burnett, and the late Alice Wilson Gardenhire. She was a loving mother of four children: Samuel W. McBride of Ooltewah, Tn.; (wife, Dorris Blair Hall McBride), Sylvia Reece Moore Jackson, of Franklin, Tn.; Millard B. Reece, Jr., of Tellico Plains, Tn., (wife, Mary Jane Reece), Scott R. McBride, of Ringgold, Ga.; and the late Mrs. Jesse B. or Marilyn McBride Ramsden Ledbetter of New Orleans, La.; 14 grandchildren: Michael C. Moore, (wife Jodi), Elizabeth Moore Daniell, of Cincinnati, Oh., (husband Fred), Jerry Reece, of Woodbury, Tn., (wife, Jennifer), Penny Reece Duncan of Murfreesboro, Tn., (husband, Drew), Alice McBride Lowe of Knoxville, Tennessee; Ann McBride White, of Clinton, Tn., (husband, Donnie); Amy McBride, of Sarasota, Fl., and Grace McBride, of Knoxville; Norman (Rusty) Ramsden of Ringgold, Ga.; J. B. Hall of Portland, Or., (wife, Michelle); Jeff H. Hall of Signal Mountain, Tn., (wife Julia), Jeremy Hall of Portland, Or.; Jacob P. hall of Las Vegas, Ne.; Scott R. McBride, Jr., and Clayton P. McBride; She has 15 great-grandchildren, five great-great-grandchildren, and several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
Graveside services will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at Greenwood Cemetery with Rev. Lawrence Clark officiating. Active pallbearers will be Ricky Bonner, Dallas Lowe, Michael Moore, Jerry Reece, Jeff Hall, and Billy Webster. Honorary pallbearers serving will be Bob Wood, and Albert Robinson.
The family will receive friends on Thursday from 6-8 p.m. and Friday from 9-10:30 a.m. at the East Chapel.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, The Ronald McDonald House, St. Jude’s Hospital, Memphis, or the Shriner’s Burn Hospital for Children, Cincinnati, Oh.
Arrangements are by the East Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 404 South Moore Road, Chattanooga, Tn.
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