Bess Arrington

Bess "Meme" Arrington, 99, just a few months shy of being a centurion, passed away peacefully Thursday, April 4, 2013, in Kingsbrook Life Care Center.

She was a longtime member of the Catlettsburg First Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Hudson Arrington; her son, Paul Hudson Arrington; and a grandson, Bill Hudson Gross.

As a life long educator and teacher with more than 43 years, her teaching has influenced three generations of students. Beginning in a one-room school in Lawrence County, she worked with children ranging from six to 18. The challenge of educating this wide age range was met with excitement, creativity and resourcefulness. Her next school position was Durbin Elementary School. New ideas in education came again and Bess moved from Durbin elementary to the larger England Hill School. As the Boyd County School System continued to grow, the England Hill School needed to also grow. A new, larger school was build and renamed Cooper Elementary. During this time, some former students were moving into the area so their children could have the best educational opportunities and that included instruction from their favorite teacher, Bess Arrington. Throughout her professional career, Bess continued to increase her academic and cultural growth. In Kentucky, during a time when many students did not finish high school, she not only received her degree from Morehead State College, but continued taking classes until she received her Master's Degree in Elementary Education. A longtime member of the Ashland Road Runners, Bess traveled extensively with family and friends visiting 32 foreign countries and gained many personal experiences that she shared with her students. She was a legacy member of the Eastern Stars, a member of the Ashland Red Hat Society and an avid University of Kentucky basketball fan. She was also inducted into the Boyd County Public Schools Hall of Fame for Educators in 2010. After retirement, she enjoyed travel, horse racing and frequent visits from friends, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She is survived by her son, George Arrington (Yvonne) of Bellefonte and her daughter, Lois Ann Volpenhein of Catlettsburg; five grandchildren, Cindy Smith (Barry), Paige Bartley (PJ), John D Gross III (Kimberly) and George Michael Arrington (Sherry); as well as 11 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

The funeral to celebrate her life will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, 2013, at Caniff Funeral Home in Westwood. Burial will follow in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Ashland.

Friends may call after 1 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in memorium may be sent to the Boyd Country Schools Family Resource Center supporting students in need; 1104 Bob McCullough Drive, Ashland, KY 41102.