Bessie Lee Black

Mrs. Bessie Lee Black was born March 4, 1947, in Winona, Mississippi. She was the firstborn of the seven children of George W. Kendle Jr. and Willie Lee (nee Collins) Kendle.

In 1971, Bessie moved to Michigan City, Indiana.

On Aug. 10, 1979, she married Clarence Black Sr. Clarence, who preceded her in death on July 1, 2023.

Our beloved Bessie, a woman of wisdom and unyielding faith, did raise her offspring with a bounty of love and a penchant for truth, ever bold in speech and rich in kindness. Her life, a testament to sacrifice, saw her forsake a full scholarship to college, that she might aid her dearest mother in the nurturing of her siblings. In later years, she did pursue her scholarly ambitions and was awarded an Associate Degree in Business Management, a laurel of her perseverance and intellect.

For a quarter of a century, Mrs. Black did serve with distinction in the employ of JCPenney, in the field of human resources, until the year of her retirement in 2008.

Her diligence and wisdom were matched only by her devotion to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witness, where she stood as a faithful and active member, her soul ever in communion with the Divine.

Bessie, a woman of Christian faith, now lies in peaceful repose in Michigan City, Indiana, having slipped away quietly in her sleep on March 12, 2026, at her home, as if embraced by the stillness of a dream. Mrs. Bessie Lee Black, a matriarch of noble heart and steadfast spirit, joins in the realm beyond her departed parents and brothers, William Kendle and Lorenzo Earl Kendle, and her dog.

She is mourned by her beloved children, Netra Kendle, Sheila (Ricky) Hervey, Rodney (Veronica) Smoote, Rolando Smoote and Orlando Smoote; and stepchildren, Angel Bean, Nadine Black and Clarence Black Jr.; five sisters, Mae Carol (Curtis) Smalls, Margaret Bethea, Clara Jean (Cleve) Kendle, Glenda Kendle and Willie Mae Burnside; and graced with the joy of 19 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, all of whom were cherished as the stars are by the night. Special friends, Arthur and Joann Ford, Millie Hicks, Chuck and Dolly Vinson, Bonnie and Shirley Erby; and a host of loving and caring friends from the Kingdom Hall.

Bessie walked this world with the wisdom of the ages and the courage of a lioness, her memory etched into the annals of time.

Funeral Services will be noon, Saturday, March 21, 2026, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses 660 Warnke Rd, Michigan City, viewing 11 a.m. Saturday, March 21, 2026, at the Kingdom Hall.