Bessie Irene Rackley

BESSIE IRENE RACKLEY Bennettsville, SC Funeral Services will be held at the Olive Grove Free Will Baptist Pentecostal Faith Church in Turbeville, SC on Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. The burial will follow at Olive Grove Free Will Baptist Church Cemetery, Turbeville, SC.Stoudenmire-Dowling Funeral Home of Florence, SC will be handling the arrangements. Family will receive friends from 2:00 – 3:00 PM at the church. She died peacefully on June 8, 2013 at the age of eight-five at Heritage Nursing Home, Florence, SC. Mrs. Rackley was born on November 2, 1927 in Greenville, NC. She was the daughter of Fred Herbert and Bessie Sutton.She was the wife of the late Reverend Willie Thomas Rackley, Sr. and Senior Pastor of Emmanuel Ministries Church, Florence, SC. She was born into a very large family.She grew up and attended school in Castle Hayne, outside Wilmington, NC. She met her husband, Willie Thomas Rackley, Sr. when he was in the sixth grade and she was in the fourth grade.They married on September 25, 1943 in Wilmington, NC.They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2012.During their life together, they raised four sons and three daughters, and were blessed with thirteen grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She worked as a School Cafeteria Dietician in Hamlet, NC for many years.She was the Ladies Auxiliary President for the Free Will Baptist Pentecostal Faith Conference for over 20 years.She and her husband pastored and built numerous churches in the Free Will Baptist Pentecostal Conference throughout North and South Carolina for over 40 years. They also had a radio ministry for several years called “The Door of Truth” on WBSC in Bennettsville, SC. She was an accomplished vocalist and took voice lessons for several years during high school.She had a very unique alto voice. She and her husband learned to sing together when they were married and blessed many people with their wonderful voices and “one-of-kind” harmony.All of their children were blessed with their talents and will carry on their legacy.She was a very creative playwright and composed many original plays and church programs, including several musicals. She gave a new meaning to “A Charlie Brown Christmas Program”. Survivors include her sons, Willie Thomas Rackley, Jr., (Brenda) of Cheraw, Timothy Wayne Rackley (Gail) of Sumter, Daniel Fred Rackley of Kingsville, Texas, and Jonathan David Rackley, Sr. (Margaret) of Lexington, SC. She is also survived by her daughters, Rita Irene Stubbs (Clifton) of Florence, Sandra Kay Carlson of Myrtle Beach and Cathy Rebecca Odom (Wally) of Charleston.She is also survived by one sister, Lily Watkins of Wilmington, NC.She is survived by 13 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Emmanuel Ministries Church, P. O. Box 13294, Florence, SC29504 or Free Will Baptist Pentecostal Faith Conference Foreign Missions of Turbeville, P. O. Box 227, Turbeville, SC29162. Please sign the registry in the tribute wall section of www.stoudenmiredowling.com.