Bessie Riddle

Waynesville, Bessie Mull Riddle, age 87, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at the Laurels of Green Tree after a struggle with COPD. A native and lifelong resident of Haywood County, she was born on August 17, 1928 to the late Mack Raymond and Loretta Wyatt Mull. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her loving husband of fifty-five years, Loyd Riddle and her four sisters, Georgia Mull, Ola Gunter Ryan, Marie Moody and Beryle Riddle. A child of the Great Depression, Bessie and her five sisters learned hard work, frugality, perseverance and commitment to family. On June 8, 1945, she married, Loyd Riddle, a soldier who had landed at Omaha Beach and had been badly wounded in the hedgerows of France. They began their life together while he was still undergoing treatment at a military hospital, and their last years together were a model of love and devotion as those old war injuries took their toll, resulting in total disability of her husband. Bessie faithfully and selflessly cared for his every need through those years. During their marriage, they raised a family and strived to provide their children and grandchildren with opportunities they never had. Families in need (especially children) held a special place in her heart, and she contributed generously to the Salvation Army and various disaster relief efforts. Bessie was an avid reader of Western fiction and a follower of current events. Her first request every morning was for the newspaper, which she read cover to cover before tuning in to her favorite news channels on TV. Bessie was a long-time member of Allen's Creek Baptist Church, having been baptized there as a child. She enjoyed meeting friends at the Golden Harvesters luncheon each month, and she also enjoyed lunch with friends from, Wellco Corporation and the Red Hat Society. Bessie is survived by her son, Mack Riddle, and his wife, Evelyn, of Fayetteville; her daughter, Ann Riddle Goodwin, and her husband, Dan, of Safety Harbor, Florida; her nephew, Eddie Barton, and his wife, Carol, of Waynesville; granddaughters, Lisa Riddle Packer (Warren) of Fayetteville and Jenna Goodwin Walker (Ryan) of Safety Harbor, Florida; her sister, Carrie Mull Swanger, of Asheville; six great-grandchildren, Aaron and Josiah Packer, Jillian, Cameron, Cash and Jack Walker; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins and her dear friend, Margaret Grasty. Funeral services will be held at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, January 17, 2016, in the Waynesville Chapel of Wells Funeral Home with Reverend Lloyd Fish officiating. Burial will follow at Green Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 1:30 until service time at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the charity of one's choice for the benefit of children in need.

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