Rose D Bizzell

Rose Dickerson Bizzell, aged 87, of Pace, MS, was called home to be with the Lord on May 8, 2025. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend, Rose's life journey was marked by love, dedication, and an unwavering spirit that touched all who knew her.

Rose’s service will held on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at Ray Funeral Home, 206 Bishop Road, Cleveland MS 38732.

• Visitation will be from from 12:00 PM to 1:00pm
• Celebration of Life at 1:00pm
• Graveside dedication immediately following at the New Cleveland Cemetery

Rose was born on November 30, 1937, to Marshall S. Dickerson Sr and Mamie Eudora Jones Dickerson. She grew up in the hills of Mississippi around the Sallis/Goodman/Durant area. She was a spitfire from day one, bringing to mind the Shakespeare quote “Though she be but little, she is fierce.”

While visiting her sister in the Mississippi Delta, Rose met a young man who won her heart. On Christmas Day, 1956, she married Lee C. Bizzell and moved from her parents’ home to her new home in Pace. She lived in this same home for the next 69 years, steadfast on staying deeply rooted in her community of Pace and Cleveland after Lee’s death in 2020.

Rose and Lee were perfect partners in life and in farming. They worked together to build a life based on hard work, integrity, lived faith, and caring for others. Rose dearly loved farming life. She enjoyed being outside, driving tractors to help Lee, putting up vegetables from her garden, tending beautiful flowers, and ensuring the birds (and sometimes other wildlife) were well fed. However, snakes and armadillos often found themselves at the wrong end of her shotgun.

As much as she enjoyed farm life, Rose enjoyed her family and friends even more. Nothing made her happier than taking care of those she loved. She would often give others little “happies” – which were unexpected gifts just to brighten someone’s day. Rose never met a stranger – and was always quick to get into a conversation with everyone she met. If you came to her house, you were sure to be fed and loved on. She enjoyed cooking meals and desserts and delivering them to her friends.

In a world increasingly obsessed with money, status, and power, Rose built and left a legacy based on things money can never buy. Rose was brave, strong, caring, and loving. She was a Christ follower. She was a woman of integrity. She let you know where she stood on things and wouldn’t back down. She was loyal to her family and friends … and if you hurt someone she loved, she turned quickly into a roaring lioness. She was a force to be reckoned with. She was … fierce. This is the legacy that Rose has left and that will be carried into generations to come.

Rose was loved by her daughter, Rita (Joel McLaughlin) Hewell. She was a fun Nana to her grandchildren: Taylor (Cason) Merritt and Eric (McCall) Hewell. She was an exuberant “G” to her three great-grandchildren: Owen, Ella, and Renner.

Preceding her in passing are her beloved husband Lee, her brother Marshall S. Dickerson Jr, and her sister Charlotte Dickerson Pettit.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial donation to

• Oasis Church building fund at oasischurchnc.churchcenter.com (this is the church Rose attended with Rita when she visited in North Carolina – she was excited to see all the young families worshipping there)
• First United Methodist Church, Cleveland, MS
• A charity of your choice