Viewing will be Thursday, August 27 from 1pm to 6pm at Long Beach Colonial Mortuary

Service will be 11:00am Friday, August 28, 2015 at Christ Second Baptist Church 1471 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave Long Beach, CA 90813

Interment at Forest Lawn Memorial Park 1500 E. San Antonio Dr. Long Beach, California.

Footnotes of Her Life


Mrs. Nessie Ree Drummer was born on February 24, 1931, in Daleville, Mississippi to Fred and Callie Brown Burge. Her maternal grandparents were William "Will" Brown and Lousinda "Siney" Leggett Brown of Kemper County, Mississippi. She was the fifth of seven children born to this union; of five brothers and two sisters. Her mother passed away when she was very young and after a few years her Dad met and married "Big Mama" Winifred. There were no children from this union.

Mom was a smart young person and a hard worker. Her big sister, Dessie Lee, had married and had her own family and home. So Mom learned and helped to cook, wash, clean and take care of her Dad and brothers. Although she lived on a farm she was not a farm person. She was afraid of animals and they always seemed to come to her. One day after she and her brother had completed their work in the fields, she came home, got cleaned up, packed her bags and went off to the city of Meridian to live with her cousin.

Mom stretched the truth about her age and was able to get a job at a restaurant in town. She enjoyed working there and this is where she developed her passion for cooking. Her heart desire was to one day have her own restaurant. She loved to cook and it was delicious.

Mom met our Dad, Lee Drummer, after he returned from the Army. They got married in January 1949. From this union they had five wonderful children. In 1958 Dad and Mom moved to California to take care of his mother, Grandma Beever, who had had a stroke. Shorty thereafter, our family united with Christ Second Baptist Church under the leadership of then Pastor Herman Gore where we still worship.

Mom worked and took care of her family. In the early days she worked in a laundry until she and Dad purchased their first home. They were an awesome team when it came to taking care of business and raising us kids. She worked at St Mary's with Red Top for 17 years. They purchased their second home in 1965 where they lived until they both went to their heavenly home.

She will truly be missed. Mom was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, (our Dad) Lee Drummer; a great-grandson, Christian; her six siblings, Charlie William, Calvin, Curley William, Kurtis Charles "KC", Fred Lee, Dessie Lee; a special nephew/son, Cordas "Jr." Belle.

On Saturday, August 15, 2015, Mom departed this life in Long Beach, California. She leaves to cherish her memories; two daughters, Nessie Faye Drummer of Long Beach, CA, Deloris Drummer Williams of Long Beach, CA; three sons, Jessie Lee Drummer of Los Angeles, CA, Johnny David "JD" Drummer, Sr. of Long Beach, CA, Frank Lee (Shelia) Drummer of Lizella, Georgia; a god-daughter, Mary Jane Davis of Rialto, California; 14 Grandchildren, 36 Great-grand Grandchildren, 6 Great-great-grandsons and a host of nieces and nephews that she truly adored and other friends and acquaintances.