Bessie Harper

Bessie M. Harper, 99, formerly of Rock Island, died Tuesday, September 18, 2018, at Hillcrest Nursing Home, Geneseo.

Memorial services will be held at 4 p.m., Monday, September 24, 2018, at Esterdahl Mortuary & Crematory, Ltd., 6601 38th Avenue, Moline.  Burial of cremains will be at Chapel Hill Gardens, Oak Lawn, IL, at a later date.  Memorials may be made to St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Milan, or Alternatives for the Older Adult.  All need to use 60th Street for access to the funeral home.

Bessie was born on August 1, 1919, in Chicago, IL, the daughter of William F. and May M. (Nickell) Teschke.  She married David Harper in Evergreen Park, IL, on October 9, 1967.  He preceded her in death on December 23, 1987.

Bessie had formerly been employed as the accounts payable clerk at Columbia Pipe Company, Chicago, retiring in 1979, after 32 years.  She was a member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Milan, and a past member of the Order of the Eastern Star.  She enjoyed history and doing research at the library.

Survivors include her nieces, Elaine Madsen, Rock Island, Ruth Smith, Canada, and Gerri Gerfen, Chicago.

She was preceded in death by her husband, sisters, Bernice Teschke, Irene Geiger, and Alice Teschke, her brother, William Teschke, and her nephew, William Geiger.

Memories may be shared on the tribute wall.