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WHEREAS, Bessie M Barr, born Bessie Gray on September 23, 1915 in Wards, Louisiana is celebrating her 100th Birthday with family and friends at her home church, Bidwell Presbyterian Church, on Saturday, September 26, 2015; and,
WHEREAS, Ms. Barr was the 7th of 8 siblings and the last of the siblings still remaining. She came to Pittsburgh in 1931with her baby sister to live with her older sister Beatrice and attended Irwin Trade School on the North Side; and,
WHEREAS, on November 29, 1941, she married Brack M. Barr and were together 59 years until his passing in January, 2001. Bessie and Brack raised three children together; Robert, who died at birth, Brack, Jr, married to Sheila, and Gordon in the Charters City home that he built in 1963 in which Mrs. Barr still resides; and,
WHEREAS, in 1949, Bessie graduated from Ella-Reen Beauty School, located in the Hill District, becoming a Licensed Cosmetologist and at the age of 93 she attended the Pittsburgh Beauty Academy to learn hair braiding, afterwards retiring at the age of 95; and,
WHEREAS, Bessie's hobbies include crocheting, baking, of which she won 3 first place blue ribbons for her pound cakes at the Allegheny County Fair; gardening and was a member of two community flower groups and she was also a member of the city-wide flower club located at the old Mellon Mansion, now the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, where she learned floral arrangements and flower preservation and she took millinery lessons at the Jenkins Arcade in downtown Pittsburgh; and,
WHEREAS, her passion has always been to serve others which was evident in the many charitable events she did the community with her local churches including traveling to other states to find scholarship money for church youth; and,
WHEREAS, her secrets to longevity are to put God first, love family, help others, work hard and keep moving!; and,
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh d...
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