Bess Whatley Frye, 78, of Shreveport, and a native of Trout, passed from this life on Thursday, June 4, 2020, at The Bradford Rehabilitation Center in Shreveport, following an extended illness.
She was born October 27, 1941 at Trout to the union of her parents, Walter Steve Whatley and Florence Price Whatley.
Bess attended Trout-Good Pine High School, and graduated from Jena High School. She received a scholarship to LSU but was unable to make up the shortfall in cost so did not attend. However, she did attend numerous supervisory and management courses.
During her career, she worked for the State of Louisiana, worked for NASA, worked for a law firm in Houma, and for the U.S. Postal Serlvice, where she went from secretary to Postmistress in Patterson, where she retired after 28 years of service.
She was active with the Krewe of Cleopatra in Houma. She received awards from the community and the Postal Service during her 28 years of service.
Bess requested she be cremated and no services be held. There will be a gathering of immediate family in the future to disburse her ashes. She wanted no flowers but asked for donations be made to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s or the NWLA Humane Society in Shreveport.
She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Clarice Cowart and Vida Ruth Allbritton; brother, Charlie Whatley; her first husband and father of her children, David Smith.
Survivors include her husband, William Frye of Shreveport; son, Kenneth Smith; step son, Daniel Frye; daughter, Lisa Smith Jawahar; step-daughter, Missy Ben Yehoshua; sister, Sue Bradford; grandchildren, Dylan Zepeda, Eleanor Jawahar, and Bianca Tipton; and great grandchild, Aria Tipton.