Bessie Mae Jones Kilby died June 10, 2012 at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Columbus, having reached her 91st birthday. She always hated the name Bessie Mae and the family and friends always called her Beck. Beck was raised in Chattanooga Tennessee and graduated from business school there. One of her first jobs brought her a brush with history and a husband. She worked at Oak Ridge during WWII and met he husband Alex there. They both worked on the Manhattan Project thus helping to bring victory to Allied Forces. Soon after the war ended they moved to Mississippi and produced their only child, Karen. Beck spent the rest of her life in Columbus working as a secretary Calif Easter Airway, Oldsburey Chemical Co. and Daisy Churn Co. among others. She retired after the death of her husband, spending her later years at her beloved home on Pennington Lake and, finally, at Trinity Place She is preceded in death by her husband, the late Alex Kilby and survived by her daughter, Karen Armstrong, Fairfax Station Virginia; grandson Andy Armstrong and two granddaughters Lexi and Sophie Armstrong of Aldie Virginia. A graveside service will be held Thursday June 14, 2012 at 12:00 noon at Friendship Cemetery.
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