On Sunday, May 19, 2013 our dear little Mother, Bessie Beatrice Sweeten, passed away peacefully just 5 days after celebrating her 100th birthday. Bessie was born in Edmonton on May 14, 1913 to James Robert and Ella Jane Harvey. She was a long time resident of Salmon Arm, having moved there with her family in the mid 1920’s. On October 29, 1930 she married the love of her life, Thomas Allen Sweeten. Shortly after celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary Tommy passed away, and in 1993 Bessie moved to Kamloops to be nearer to her daughter and sisters.
Bessie was a dedicated homemaker always willing to lend a helping hand to her family, friends and neighbours, be it giving a perm, hemming a dress, minding a child or countless other kindnesses. She had a great (sometimes mischievous) sense of humour and when she and her siblings and their families got together it was always a good time filled with joking and laughter.
Bessie was predeceased by her husband Tommy in 1991, daughter Velma Anne in 2009, granddaughter JoAnne in 1998, all her siblings Dorothea Dunne, Ethel Blackburn, Minnie Mitchell, Vi Bryden and Bob Harvey; sister-in-law Mary Smith and brother-in-law Roy Sweeten.
She will be lovingly remembered by daughters, Lois Lapadat of Smithers and Carol (Larry) Tyssen of Kamloops, grandchildren Maureen (Ed) Draper, Belinda (Will) Stewart, both of Crawford Bay, Tammy (Mike) Gutziet of Revelstoke, Judith Lapadat (Rob), Lethbridge AB, Lawrence (Teresa) Lapadat, Salt Spring Island, Ron (Sarah) Lapadat, Smithers, Tony Lapadat, Telkwa, Teresa (Travis) Meyer, Clancy MT, Darrell Tyssen, Airdrie AB, Steve (Hideko) Tyssen, Calgary AB; 24 great grandchildren; 16 great, great grandchildren; 1 great, great, great grandson: many nieces and nephews: and sister-in-law Marjorie Sweeten, now of Edmonton.
Special thanks to the Staff at Kamloops Senior’s Village for the exemplary care given to Bessie these past seven years.
The Funeral Service will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, June 1, 2013 at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Salmon Arm, 170 Shuswap Street SE.
In memory of Bessie, donations to the Alzheimer’s Society, #300-828 West 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1E2, would be greatly appreciated.
Arrangements entrusted to
Kamloops Funeral Home
250-554-2577
Condolences may be sent to the family from
www.kamloopsfuneralhome.com