Mrs. "Bill" Haga Jessee passed away on February 4 in Mesa, Arizona. Her son, Bill, daughter, Kathy, and son-in-law, Ron, were with her as she entered her peaceful sleep. Born in Bristol, Virginia, on September 28, 1920, "Bill" was one of 10 siblings born to Nora Lee and Lorenzo Jackson Haga. During the Depression, "Bill" worked alongside her mother, brothers and sisters in the family grocery store in Abingdon, Virginia. There she met her husband, Floyd Jessee, while he was delivering bread to the store.
During World War II, she and Floyd secretly married while she was attending George Ben Johnson Memorial Hospital's nursing school. He was sent to Los Alamos, New Mexico, to work as a military policeman on the Atomic Bomb Project. She followed him after graduation and worked as a nurse there until the war ended. After the War, they returned to Bristol where Bill and Kathy were born and she worked as an RN at Fort Shelby Hospital. In 1954, she moved with her family to Yuma, Arizona, where she and Floyd purchased the Desert Sands Motel. It was in Yuma that she spent the next 28 years of her life, working at the Yuma County Hospital, Park View, and the Yuma Proving Ground Clinic in various areas of nursing. Her nursing career brought her great joy in her life.
After retiring in 1982, she and Floyd moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where her son and his family resided. In 1986, Floyd passed away, and in 1989, "Bill" moved to Gilroy, California, to be close to her daughter and then son-in-law, Richard. In 2004 she moved with her daughter to Phoenix, Arizona, where she enjoyed the desert that she loved. She adored her grandsons, including Brian Jessee (Claudia), Matt
Jessee, Chris Jessee, and James Harper. Predeceased by 8 of her siblings, her sister Rheba Casteel of Abingdon survives her. She will be missed by her daughter-in-law, Sally K. Jessee. There will be a visitation on Friday, February 10, from 4 to 6p.m. at Frost Funeral Home in Abingdon. A service in "Bill's" memory will be conducted at 11a.m. on Saturday, February 11, in the Frost Funeral Home Chapel, followed by burial at Mountain View Cemetery in Bristol. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to a charity of your choice.
All of us who were lucky enough to have "Bill" in our lives will miss her every day. She had a contagious laugh, a never-waning
positive outlook, and beautiful blue twinkling eyes that spoke much more loudly than words. Her unsurpassed ability at Scrabble and crossword puzzles and her voracious appetite for books, especially historical novels, made us all strive to be better!
We love you, Mom.
During World War II, she and Floyd secretly married while she was attending George Ben Johnson Memorial Hospital's nursing school. He was sent to Los Alamos, New Mexico, to work as a military policeman on the Atomic Bomb Project. She followed him after graduation and worked as a nurse there until the war ended. After the War, they returned to Bristol where Bill and Kathy were born and she worked as an RN at Fort Shelby Hospital. In 1954, she moved with her family to Yuma, Arizona, where she and Floyd purchased the Desert Sands Motel. It was in Yuma that she spent the next 28 years of her life, working at the Yuma County Hospital, Park View, and the Yuma Proving Ground Clinic in various areas of nursing. Her nursing career brought her great joy in her life.
After retiring in 1982, she and Floyd moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where her son and his family resided. In 1986, Floyd passed away, and in 1989, "Bill" moved to Gilroy, California, to be close to her daughter and then son-in-law, Richard. In 2004 she moved with her daughter to Phoenix, Arizona, where she enjoyed the desert that she loved. She adored her grandsons, including Brian Jessee (Claudia), Matt
Jessee, Chris Jessee, and James Harper. Predeceased by 8 of her siblings, her sister Rheba Casteel of Abingdon survives her. She will be missed by her daughter-in-law, Sally K. Jessee. There will be a visitation on Friday, February 10, from 4 to 6p.m. at Frost Funeral Home in Abingdon. A service in "Bill's" memory will be conducted at 11a.m. on Saturday, February 11, in the Frost Funeral Home Chapel, followed by burial at Mountain View Cemetery in Bristol. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to a charity of your choice.
All of us who were lucky enough to have "Bill" in our lives will miss her every day. She had a contagious laugh, a never-waning
positive outlook, and beautiful blue twinkling eyes that spoke much more loudly than words. Her unsurpassed ability at Scrabble and crossword puzzles and her voracious appetite for books, especially historical novels, made us all strive to be better!
We love you, Mom.
Mrs. "Bill" Haga Jessee passed away on February 4 in Mesa, Arizona. Her son, Bill, daughter, Kathy, and son-in-law, Ron, were with her as she entered her peaceful sleep. Born in Bristol, Virginia, on September 28, 1920, "Bill" was one of 10 siblings born to Nora Lee and Lorenzo Jackson Haga. During the Depression, "Bill" worked alongside her mother, brothers and sisters in the family grocery store in Abingdon, Virginia. There she met her husband, Floyd Jessee, while he was delivering bread to the store.
During World War II, she and Floyd secretly married while she was attending George Ben Johnson Memorial Hospital's nursing school. He was sent to Los Alamos, New Mexico, to work as a military policeman on the Atomic Bomb Project. She followed him after graduation and worked as a nurse there until the war ended. After the War, they returned to Bristol where Bill and Kathy were born and she worked as an RN at Fort Shelby Hospital. In 1954, she moved with her family to Yuma, Arizona, where she and Floyd purchased the Desert Sands Motel. It was in Yuma that she spent the next 28 years of her life, working at the Yuma County Hospital, Park View, and the Yuma Proving Ground Clinic in various areas of nursing. Her nursing career brought her great joy in her life.
After retiring in 1982, she and Floyd moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where her son and his family resided. In 1986, Floyd passed away, and in 1989, "Bill" moved to Gilroy, California, to be close to her daughter and then son-in-law, Richard. In 2004 she moved with her daughter to Phoenix, Arizona, where she enjoyed the desert that she loved. She adored her grandsons, including Brian Jessee (Claudia), Matt
Jessee, Chris Jessee, and James Harper. Predeceased by 8 of her siblings, her sister Rheba Casteel of Abingdon survives her. She will be missed by her daughter-in-law, Sally K. Jessee. There will be a visitation on Friday, February 10, from 4 to 6p.m. at Frost Funeral Home in Abingdon. A service in "Bill's" memory will be conducted at 11a.m. on Saturday, February 11, in the Frost Funeral Home Chapel, followed by burial at Mountain View Cemetery in Bristol. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to a charity of your choice.
All of us who were lucky enough to have "Bill" in our lives will miss her every day. She had a contagious laugh, a never-waning
positive outlook, and beautiful blue twinkling eyes that spoke much more loudly than words. Her unsurpassed ability at Scrabble and crossword puzzles and her voracious appetite for books, especially historical novels, made us all strive to be better!
We love you, Mom.
During World War II, she and Floyd secretly married while she was attending George Ben Johnson Memorial Hospital's nursing school. He was sent to Los Alamos, New Mexico, to work as a military policeman on the Atomic Bomb Project. She followed him after graduation and worked as a nurse there until the war ended. After the War, they returned to Bristol where Bill and Kathy were born and she worked as an RN at Fort Shelby Hospital. In 1954, she moved with her family to Yuma, Arizona, where she and Floyd purchased the Desert Sands Motel. It was in Yuma that she spent the next 28 years of her life, working at the Yuma County Hospital, Park View, and the Yuma Proving Ground Clinic in various areas of nursing. Her nursing career brought her great joy in her life.
After retiring in 1982, she and Floyd moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where her son and his family resided. In 1986, Floyd passed away, and in 1989, "Bill" moved to Gilroy, California, to be close to her daughter and then son-in-law, Richard. In 2004 she moved with her daughter to Phoenix, Arizona, where she enjoyed the desert that she loved. She adored her grandsons, including Brian Jessee (Claudia), Matt
Jessee, Chris Jessee, and James Harper. Predeceased by 8 of her siblings, her sister Rheba Casteel of Abingdon survives her. She will be missed by her daughter-in-law, Sally K. Jessee. There will be a visitation on Friday, February 10, from 4 to 6p.m. at Frost Funeral Home in Abingdon. A service in "Bill's" memory will be conducted at 11a.m. on Saturday, February 11, in the Frost Funeral Home Chapel, followed by burial at Mountain View Cemetery in Bristol. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to a charity of your choice.
All of us who were lucky enough to have "Bill" in our lives will miss her every day. She had a contagious laugh, a never-waning
positive outlook, and beautiful blue twinkling eyes that spoke much more loudly than words. Her unsurpassed ability at Scrabble and crossword puzzles and her voracious appetite for books, especially historical novels, made us all strive to be better!
We love you, Mom.
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