Inez Lillian Mashburn Bresse's Obituary
INEZ LILLIAN MASHBURN BRESSE, 92
LAKELAND- Mrs. Inez Lillian Mashburn Bresse, age 92, passed away Tuesday, May 27, at the Lakeland Regional Medical Center due to complications from a fall.
Inez was a resident of Lakeland since the early 1960s. She was born and raised in Chatham County, N.C., to Charles Berry and Martha Belle Taylor Mashburn. During WWII she worked in Washington D.C. grinding lenses for gun sights and there met and married her husband of 57 years, Joseph Bresse, who preceded her in death in 2001. In the 50 years she resided in Lakeland, she was involved in various endeavors in which she took great pride and pleasure. She served the First United Methodist Church in the toddler nursery for many years and was store manager for the GNC store when it was located in the old Lakeland Mall. She was an avid sports fan, a voracious reader and crocheted beautiful afghans which her family members will cherish always. Inez is survived by her brother, Woodrow Mashburn, of Sanford, N.C., and her two loving children; Joseph Albert Bresse, Jr., of Boiling Springs, S.C., and Pamela Bresse (Strickland) Bodwell of Lakeland. In addition, she leaves four grandchildren, Erika (Jesse) Strickland Harrington, of Rochester, N.Y.; Jennifer (Hakim) Tazerouti, of Union, S.C.; Julie (Ryan) Kurlfink, of Mauldin, S.C.; and Jackie (Robert) Bresse-Rodenkirk, of Wilmette, Ill. She also leaves three great-grandchildren, Katie, Ellie and Charlie Kurlfink. She was preceded in death by her daughter-in-law, Nola Gilbert Bresse; two brothers, Howard and Julian Mashburn; and three sisters, Bethel Mashburn, Sally Whitley and Tamar Morris, in addition to many loving nieces, nephews and extended family members.
Memorial service will be held on Friday, June 6, at 2 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church Chapel, in Lakeland. Interment will take place in July at the Methodist Cemetery in Carbonton, N.C., where she was born and raised.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the First United Methodist Church of Lakeland or to the Palliative Care Unit of the Lakeland Regional Medical Center. The family also wishes to express thanks to the staff of Cornerstone Hospice for their care and support.
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