She was born in Phillips County, Kansas on July 2, 1939 to Clarence & Winifred (Bretton) Kendall, the oldest of eight children. She grew up and attended schools in Phillipsburg and Agra, Kansas.

As a teenager, her family moved to Oak Creek, Colorado, where Bessie met her future husband. From there the family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she and Norman W. Schumacher were married. They were blessed with one daughter, Eugenia Marie.

The couple later divorced and Bessie and her daughter moved back to Agra to live with her maternal grandmother. During this time, Bessie met Buddy Duane Vinsonhaler, and later, another daughter, Donna, was added to the family.

Bessie worked at various jobs around Phillipsburg and Norton, Kansas until her health began to fail and she could no longer work. She loved the outdoors, riding horses and fishing, and was an avid collector of Indian figurines.

Bessie was a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, great aunt and friend, who will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

She was preceded in death by her parents; two infant sisters, Cleta & Clara, and another sister, Connie Iverson; brother-in-law, Stephen Brinson; a niece, Geraldin Hawkey; and nephews, Glenn Kendall, Jr. and Kenneth Smith.

Survivors include her daughters, Eugenia Van Allen & husband, John, of Lebanon, KS and Donna Gitchel & husband, Terry, of Phillipsburg, KS; sisters, Donna R. Smith & husband, Roy Lee, of Tyler, TX and Alice Searight & husband, George, of Phillipsburg; brothers, Glenn Kendall & wife, Vicky, and Wilbur Kendall, all of Phillipsburg; six grandchildren: James Schumacher of Lansing, KS; Robert Reese of Anchorage, AK; Tara (Gitchel) Burnham & husband, Robin, of WaKeeney, KS; Michael Reese, Shelby Gitchel, and Karma (Gitchel) Steelsmith & husband, Ron, all of Phillipsburg; three great-grandchildren: Kihyna Steelsmith and Wyatt and Tehya Burnham; an aunt, Ethel Bretton of Phillipsburg; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, Jan. 22, at 2:00 p.m. in the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, with Rev. Tim Kraft officiating. Burial will follow in the Fairview Cemetery, Phillipsburg.

Mrs. Schumacher will lie in-state Thurs. from 5-9 p.m. and Fri. from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be given to the KSU Center for Basic Cancer Research or St. Jude Children's Hospital.