Bessie Minger Beaver, daughter of Charles and Rebecca (Shook) Minger, and wife of the late Victor Beaver, "slipped the surly bonds of Earth"--bonds which had held her far too long--and was received into the loving arms of her Saviour on the evening of Tuesday, March 5. Bessie was born November 9, 1915 in Fly (Monroe County), Ohio, where she lived until relocating to Ashland with her family in 1963.

Bessie was predeceased by an infant son, Buford Victor, and is survived by three sons: Donovan (Virginia) of Kernersville, NC; Alan (Sylvia) of Wesley Chapel, FL; Wayne (Rita) of Ashland; and one daughter, Vicki (Guy) Howman, also of Ashland; and by seven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Bessie was one of thirteen children and is survived by one brother, Donald (Marilyn) Minger of Fly, OH.

Bessie was employed by several families of Ashland for home cleaning and also served as a "nanny," cook, and confidant for a span of more than two decades. Many of these folks treated her as "one of the family." One of her joys was pointing out to those who chauffeured her the places where she had been employed, recalling the warm relationships her employment provided.
Bessie is fondly remembered as the matriarch of her far-flung family, as a masterful baker and cook, and as a talented needlewoman. During her lifetime she made hundreds of quilts and thousands of pairs of slippers for others, hobbies she viewed as a ministry and continued far into the ninth decade of her life. Born a farm girl, she embraced labour not as a duty but as a means of service.

Bessie was a life-long Christian and was a member of Gravel Hill Baptist Church in Fly, Ohio and later of The Free Methodist Church of Ontario, Ohio. She lived her faith in all areas of her life, large and small. Alan, her pastor-son, often told his congregations, "My mom practices what I preach." And she did.

Visiting hours will take place on Friday, March 8 at Wappner Funeral Home on Claremont Ave. in Ashland between the hours of 1-3 and 6-8 with a very brief service to follow. The funeral will be held at Gravel Hill Baptist Church in Fly, Ohio on Saturday, March 9 at 1 pm with interment at Mehrley Cemetery