Bessie Mae (Buck) Benson Brooks

Bessie worked as the head cafeteria worker at Northern Kentucky Head Start and A.D Owens Elementary School. She also worked as a private CNA for several private patients. The job she did the most was babysitting. She watched everybody. This brought her many years of joy and was her most important role as the family matriarch.

As a faithful member of Corinthian Baptist Church, she served on the Usher Board and the Church meal ministry for many years.

She loved to throw down in the kitchen and cooked at every opportunity (and then some). Everyone knew you could always get a plate at Aunt Bessie’s or Granny’s house. She served up caramel cake, banana pudding, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken and porkchops, ribs, collard greens, to name a few. Cooking was her language of love.

Bessie was well-known and loved by many throughout the community of Newport. Whether you were a blood relative or not, everyone called her Granny or Aunt Bessie. She never knew a stranger. If you needed a warm meal, a warm hug, or just someone to lean on or talk to, who would tell it like it is, her door was always open.

Bessie was the devoted mother of 10 children, loving and supportive. She epitomized beauty, strength, and resilience. In the eyes of many, she was a brave and courageous super-woman who often seemed to perform miracles. You would think she could move mountains.

Bessie’s Children were James Cool (Kelly) Benson, Michelle Benson, Georgetta Brown, John Frank Brown, Linda Reese Brown, Annette (Jeff) Comer, Julia Ann (Joe) Davis, Mae Ruth (Steve) Dierig, Mitchell Leroy (Teresa) Mayes, and Clara Mae (Sydney) White.

Her grandchildren: Daelyanna Benson, DeShawna Benson, Adam Brown, Lakeisha Brown, Lorimar Brown, Shawn Brown, William Brown, Angel Creech, Bessie Davis, Denisha Gillespie, Dennis Gillespie, Bryan Hodge, Leaticel Schaffner-Hoskins, Darrell Howard, Shaquana Johnson, Madison Mayes, Mitchell Mayes, Derrick Mayes, Tamara Mayes.

She was blessed with 68 great-grandchildren and 46 great-great grandchildren, three surrogate sons--Dana, Larry and Norman Hodge--and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. She is preceded in death by ten siblings, one son (John Frank Brown), and one grandchild (William Frederick Brown).