Bessie R. Welch, 75, died Tuesday, April 26, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Born July 22, 1929, in Caruthersville, Mo., daughter of the late James and Myrtle Doster Sides, she was a cook, and was employed at Brown Shoe Company. She was a Boy Scout Leader and a member of the Temple Baptist Church.

Survivors include two sons, Jimmie Crittenden, of Millersville, Mo., and Verlin Wayne Ford, of Cape Girardeau; three daughters, Ann Tucker and Carol Marshall, both of Sikeston, Mo., and Teresa McKeever, of Jacksonville, Fla.; three sisters, Aline Goss, of Caruthersville, Kathleen Sides, of Sikeston and Lucille Winters, of Dyersburg, Tenn.; seven grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 30, at the H.S. Smith Funeral Home Chapel in Caruthersville with the Rev. Jim Pilcher officiating.

Burial was in the Little Prairie Cemetery at Caruthersville.

Pallbearers were George Winters Jr., Ronnie Prater, Jerry Randall, Gary Weber, Doyle Richmond and Bryan Marshall.