RAPID CITY--Bessie L. Charles, 75, of Rapid City, passed away at Rapid City Regional Hospital on Monday, July 27, 2009. Bessie Kitto was born on June 30, 1934, in Fulton, SD, to John Lester and Flossie Kitto. She grew up in the Fulton area and graduated from Fulton High School. Bessie moved to Rapid City, where she was employed at Mill's Drug. She met and later married Gene Charles in Rapid City on June 3, 1956. Gene was serving in the Air Force and the family moved to many different bases in the United States and abroad. To this union three daughters were born. Wanda and Tammy were born 4 years apart, each on December 4 and Vonda was born on April 4; easy for Mom and Dad to remember. After Gene's retirement from the Air Force in 1974 the family located to Rio Rico, AZ. In 1977, the family moved to Hill City, where Bessie worked at Diane's Gift Shop. They moved to Rapid City in 1989 and have lived here since. Bessie was active as a Girl Scout Leader for several years and lived to sew, crochet and do needlepoint. She also lived to travel and take vacations. On 9/11/2001 she and Gene were returning from a trip to England, when they were diverted to Newfoundland, where they stayed in a church for 6 days due to the airspace closure in the United States. Grateful for having shared her life are her husband, Gene C. Charles, of Rapid City; a daughter, Wanda Dale and her husband Jeff, of Rapid City, their 3 children, Michael Dale and his son Aiden, Katie Dale and Kory Dale; a daughter, Vonda McCarty, of Spearfish, her 2 children, Kayla McCarty and her son Christian and William McCarty; a daughter, Tammy Munguia and her husband Mark, of Pomona, CA and their 3 children, Mark, Christopher and Matthew Munguia; her three sisters, Arlyne White, Cheyenne, WY, Helen Kurtenbaugh, Mitchell and Barb Brown and her husband Bob, of Denver. She was preceded in death by her parents and 2 brothers, Aliven 'Bud' Kitto and Clyde Kitto. Visitation will be from 5 until 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home. Services will be at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 31, at the funeral home with Rev. Preston Brown officiating. Burial will follow in Black Hills National Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Black Hills Workshop.