Bessie Corene Bullock Lyman, 95, of Newton, Massachusetts, died peacefully on December 30, 2023 in Boston, MA.

Bessie was born September 26, 1928 to Hugh M. Bullock and Vinie Allen Bullock in Dutchville Township, NC.  As the thirteenth of sixteen children, she was determined to leave farm life for life in the city.  Education provided the opportunity for her to fulfill that dream.  She went from a one room schoolhouse in the Jim Crow south to a doctorate at Harvard University to traveling all over the world.

Bessie was valedictorian of her high school class (Hawley High School).  She gladly accepted a scholarship to attend Florida Normal and Industrial Institute, in St. Augustine, FL where she received an Associate of Arts degree in 1947. After working a few years, she attended North Carolina College for Negroes (currently North Carolina Central University) and received her Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and Social Science in 1951.

After marrying Arthur Lyman February 13, 1954 and starting a family, she returned to school and was credentialed as a teacher at Sacramento State College in 1966.  She received her Masters at Harvard University in 1975 and completed a Ph.D. in Administrative Planning and Teaching Curriculum/Learning Environments at Harvard University in 1983. Bessie worked for Newton Public Schools for 27 years.  She taught at Underwood Elementary School and later served as an Administrator at the Education Center.  Her work of implementing strategies to close the education gap between African-American and non African-American students was applauded and sought after by other school districts.

Bessie Lyman was known for her optimism and witty comments. She was always elegant, divesting herself of denim when she moved from NC.  She was deeply committed to family and serving others.   She played the role of a matriarch, invested in the lives of her relatives and encouraged all her family to stay connected as she and her siblings successfully did, promoting participation in family reunions at every opportunity.  She was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and former president of the Boston chapter of The Links.

Bessie enjoyed traveling both for pleasure and for missions and loved checking places off her bucket list.  In North America, she visited 3 Canadian provinces, 34 of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Central America.  She also traveled to 3 Caribbean islands, 10 countries in Europe, 3 countries in Africa and Venezuela.

She was deeply involved in parish life and committed to her faith community at Grace Episcopal Church in Newton, MA. She served as Junior and Senior Warden, Church school teacher, and on the hospitality team.  She led social justice initiatives and developed a Black Consciousness Workshop to help parishioners understand racial issues.  She was also active on the boards of The Episcopal City Mission and the Episcopal Relief and Development Committee. She served on several advisory committees for the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.

Bessie is survived by her children Andrea Lyman and Anthony "Tony" Lyman, grandsons Raymond Darnell Lyman (Summer), Maxx Lyman, Sebastien Lyman and Tobias Lyman, great-grandchildren, Camrynn Lyman, Cora Lyman, Rebel Lyman, Iv Lyman, and Oliver Alexander Lyman, her siblings Joyce Richardson and James Louis Chambers (Valeria), multiple generations of nieces and nephews and dear friends too numerous to list.

Bessie is predeceased by her husband Arthur L. Lyman Jr., parents Hugh M.Bullock and Vinie Allen Bullock, siblings Elizabeth Bullock, Major B. Bullock, Joseph Bullock, Henry Bullock, Roy Bullock, Ludie Green, Willie Bullock, Walter Bullock, Novella Chick, Minnie Lyon, Hugh D. Bullock, Notre Hunt, and James "Beezer" Bullock.

The memorial service will be Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 1:00pm at Grace Episcopal Church, 76 Eldredge Street, Newton, MA.

Support for the arts and for ALS was important to Bessie. Her last wishes for those left behind were to continue supporting, in her stead, Roxbury International Film Festival and ALS Therapy Development Institute, and to purposefully and continuously perform acts of kindness towards others.