Bessie Ake

Bessie Meade Drake, 98, of Petersburg, widow of Francis E. Drake, passed away on Thursday, January 6, 2011. She was born in Petersburg, received her bachelor's degree from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia and her master's degree in Religious Education at Biblical Seminary in New York City. She married and raised her family in New York and New Jersey, then returned to Petersburg for the last four decades of her life. She was the daughter of the late Robert McIlwaine and Bessie Meade Patterson Friend. She was a dedicated member and elder of Third Presbyterian Church, Petersburg, making a decisive contribution to the Christian birth, growth, and maturity of countless children and adults. She is survived by her son, Rev. Francis E. Drake (Christine) of Norfolk; her daughter, Elizabeth Randolph Meade Colsell (Paul) of Old Windsor, England; seven grandchildren, Dr. David Lawrence Drake (Collette), Jennifer Ruth Pankau (Jason), Nathaniel Isaac Cunliffe (Esther), Rebecca Beverley McMains (Christopher), Charlotte Meade Ollerton (Andrew), William Jacob Cunliffe (Laura), and Robert John Joshua Cunliffe (Joanna); and seven great grandchildren, Jarod Pankau, Jaden Pankau, Julianne Pankau, Josephine Pankau, William Drake, Lucy Ollerton, and Joel Ollerton. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at Third Presbyterian Church. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Monday, January 10, 2011 at the Petersburg Chapel of J. T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home & Cremation Service. Interment will be in Blandford Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Third Presbyterian Church, 1660 Dupuy Road, Petersburg, VA 23803 or the Petersburg Home for Ladies (Fellowship Fund), 311 S. Jefferson Street, Petersburg, VA 23803. Condolences may be registered at www.jtmorriss.com .