Bobbie Hosea, 93, of Lake Charles, passed away at 6:50 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022 in a local care facility.

Bobbie Hosea was born Dec. 6, 1928 in Akron, Ohio, to Margaret and Robert Gribble. Southern Louisiana became her home when she moved back to her family’s boarding house in DeRidder. Adventure took her to the bigger cities of New Orleans and later Lake Charles where she married, settled, and had her two children, Linda McFatter Massey and Mark Steven McFatter. 

In 1963, Bobbie bought into the opportunity to become an entrepreneur and opened her first Merle Norman Cosmetics in the Southgate shopping center in Lake Charles. When developers planned the opening of the Prien Lake Mall, they recruited her as one of the first store owners for the mall where she stayed for many years through many customers who became friends. She eventually owned multiple stores and employed countless women including four generations of family who grew up in the shop with her. Her clientele included the young and the old, the sophisticated and novice, while staying timeless or trendy no matter what was in style throughout the decades. She gave honest advice and shared what she knew with a steady hand and an open ear. If she really loved you, Bobbie would pin you down and critique your hair or even just fix it for you. She looked forward to “wine time” and loud family gatherings, with a full cast of characters interesting enough for her very own soap opera. 

She loved fine things and fun people. In 1981, she married her beloved Jack Hosea who was both. They built a life entertaining friends in their beautiful home, cooking and drinking on the deck and gazebo that were even once featured in Southern Living magazine. Her house was always a party, and her closet was always a stage for little girls to hold fashion shows in scarves and heels with painted faces while dripping in sparkly jewelry. She was known by many as the makeup lady and more fondly by more as simply Bebe.

She leaves behind her dapper husband, Jack; sister, Wanda (Harry) Wright; daughter, Linda Massey; step-daughter, Allie (Jeff) Butler, grandchildren, Erica Massey Radde, Erin (Doug) Baker, Meredith Massey, and Brandon (Angel) McFatter. Additional nieces, nephews, and grandchildren include Dawn, Lillette, Ty, Jane Claire, Preston, Weslie, Lane, Jace, Taylor, and Elliott. She was preceded in death by her parents; son, Stev; stepson, Samuel Hosea; son-in-law, Greg Massey; and half brother, Art. 

As she requested no services will be held, and cremation will be entrusted to Johnson Funeral Home. 

Words of comfort to the family may be expressed at www.johnsonfuneralhome.net.