Bessie Dean Spears

On February 28th, 2022 Bessie Dean (Fort) Spears entered heaven's gate at the age of 99. Bessie was born November 30, 1922 near Lovington, New Mexico. She grew up there and attended school at Prairie view, upon graduation she attended college at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, for one year. She worked as a deputy in the county clerk's office in Lovington during World War II. And on Christmas Day 1944 Charles H Spears proposed, she accepted, and they were married, all on the same day. Following his discharge from the Navy in 1948 they settled near Lovington, New Mexico where they farmed for 30 years. Bessie was a Christian woman who loved her home and family. She loved to cook and to sew for the girls. She crocheted many blankets, canned just about every vegetable they could grow and always had a fresh, homemade fruit pie ready for family when they came to visit. She loved eating fresh peaches and home-grown tomatoes; she even managed to grow a few tomatoes on her balcony at Good Samaritan. She enjoyed her time at Good Samaritan, especially visiting with her friends and neighbors, she especially enjoyed her bible study group. Charles preceded her in death on June 9, 2013. She will be buried next to her husband in the Antioch Cemetery near Lovington, NM. She is survived by two daughters Charlotte Tomlinson (Jim) of Hatch, New Mexico and Priscilla Spears (Dan Bean) of Corvallis, Oregon. Four grandchildren Ronald Tomlinson of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Jennifer Hamilton of Las Cruces, New Mexico; Colin Bean of San Francisco, California and Anne Bean of Seattle Washington. Three great grandchildren Weston and Brynn Tomlinson of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Christopher Hamilton of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Bessie's family would like to thank her dearest friend, companion and caregiver Vivian Perea for caring for her for the past 6 years. Thank you for loving her as much as we did. The family gives her and everyone else who cared for and loved Grandma Bess their greatest and warmest gratitude.