Bessie Marie Wells passed away on October 3, 2020. She was born on September 24, 1939 to Montgomery and Adelia Gowens in Pratt, Kansas.
She was the youngest of her 12 siblings: Elsie, Ilean, Martin, Martha, Bill, Earnest, MaryJo, Amos, Charlie, David, and Abby.
She and her siblings were raised in Meade, Kansas, where she lived until the age of 16.
She married her first husband, Cyrus Alvin Wells on March 30, 1955. The two moved around as he was stationed on the USS KittyHawk, before he passed in a fatal car accident. He left behind 26-year-old, Bessie, and their 4 small children.
A year later, on February 10, 1966, Bessie married childhood friend and Alvin’s older brother, Robert Warren Wells Jr.
Together, they had two more children. In 1984, they moved to Fernley, NV where they resided until 2015, when they moved to Winnemucca with their son, Bob and his wife, Shelley, as she battled Dementia. Robert and Bessie were married for 54 years, 7 months and 3 days.
Bessie’s greatest joy in life was her family.
Her family consisted of not only her children but everyone she met. Young, old and everyone in between. They all called her Grandma.
She was not a rich woman except she was rich in love.
She would feed and house anyone who needed help, her floors were always full of people who needed a place to stay and her lap always had someone trying to sit on it.
She loved the “chaos” of a very full house. Because of this, she not only raised her children but some of her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and children of others who found their way to her home.
She loved each and every one, even when they drove her crazy. This was her gift God blessed her with.
Bessie Marie Wells is survived by her husband, Robert. her children; Donna (Mike) Shaw (Pheonix, AZ), Delila Rescorla (Pheonix, AZ) Deanna (Bruce) Faulkner (Dodge City, KS), Dean Wells (Loomis, CA), Robert “Bob” (Shelley) Wells (Winnemucca, NV), and Ronald (Mary) Wells ( Fernley, NV). Her grandchildren; Lila, Isaiah, Danial, Donna, Jed, Wes, Crystal, Amy, Christina, Vernon, Amanda, Robert, Donnie, Chris, Kelly, John, Matthew, Gina, Candice, and their spouses, respectively.
She is survived by her 40 great-grandchildren and 18 great-great-grandchildren. Her brother, David Gowens (CO) and sister, Martha Krebs (OK) and longtime family friends who loved her unconditionally, Rodney and Asako (Fernley, NV).
She is preceded in death by her first husband, Cyrus Alvin Wells. Her parents; Monty and Delia Gowens, and her siblings, Bill, Martin, Ernest, Amos, Charlie, MaryJo Rohla, Ilean McCammond and Abby. 2 grandchildren, Matthew Faulkner, and David Shaw and 2 great-grandchildren; Lincoln and Rylan Hoover.
Family gathered on October 5, 2020 to celebrate the life of Bessie, as she had requested. No other services are scheduled at this time.
In lieu of flowers, please donate your time or money to a Dementia or Alzheimer’s Association near you.
