Bessie Lee (Conner) Grigsby

Yorktown, Va. – Bessie Lee (Conner) Grigsby was born on August 13, 1919 in a little town called Lake Cormorant, Mississippi to James Fal Conner and Fannie Moore. She was one of ten (10) children, all of which preceded her in death. Like many Blacks from that period, Bessie migrated North to Detroit, Michigan to join her older brother and sister seeking a better life. She married Lonnie T. Grigsby Sr. and raised 8 children, Julius, Maxine, Ruth, Lonnie Jr (Ursula), Janice (Lance), Aaron, Derek and Rhonda. She was a wonderful homemaker who loved cooking, listening to good music, and sitting on the front porch watching her neighbors go about their lives. She had a warm and loving personality that invited the neighborhood kids to congregate and make her porch the place to be. She was the matriarch of the family, not domineering but nurturing, fiercely loyal and protective. You knew… she always had your back. Bessie, Idea to many, has moved on to be with our Lord. She leaves behind a legacy of love that will never be forgotten, embodied in her six generations of children.
A funeral service will be held at True Word Ministry, 1803 E 14Mile Road, Birmingham, MI on Friday, June 3, 2022 at 11:00 AM in True Word Ministries. Burial will follow in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Detroit, MI. Send expression of sympathy to Swanson Funeral Home [North West], 14751 West McNichols, Detroit, Michigan 48235