Mary Beatrice Bell's Obituary
OBITUARY
Mary Beatrice Bell was born Leona Willis on January 23, 1931 in Shreveport Louisiana to William Willis and Nora Rose Glover. She was named by her aunt, but her mother later changed her name to “Mary” because she couldn’t remember the name Leona. She had one brother, Ernest Willis, and two sisters, Ollie Mae Smith and Lessie Deon.
Mary’s mother and father moved to Corcoran, California in 1944, where she graduated from Corcoran High School in 1948. She later moved to San Francisco and rented a room at a boarding house where she met and married the manager, Willie T. Bell. They were married on March 17, 1951 and to this union four children were born: Cedric, Cheyenne, Phillip and Sheila Bell.
After her children were in school, Mary went to work at Sunnyside Convalescent Hospital in San Francisco where she worked for several years. She worked several jobs throughout her life to include: housekeeping, the US Post Office, as a Longshoreman, and a Taxi Driver. She later retired from S.F. Municipal Railway as a Muni Driver.
In 1950, she accepted Christ and became a founding member of Rev. Lonnie Bell’s Church which is now Bell Chapel CME Church in San Francisco. She was an active member for over 65 years and worked as Steward. In 2015, she was the first to receive the Bell Family Honor award and in 2016, she was honored as a Bell Chapel Outstanding Member. Mary’s love of God, family and life was evident in her daily reading of her Bible and always quoting Bible scriptures to family and friends.
Mary loved to travel, and she traveled around the world and across the U.S. with family and friends. She especially enjoyed traveling around the country to watch her granddaughter, Lauren, play basketball. From the time Lauren played youth basketball, throughout high school, college, and eventually playing professional basketball overseas, her grandmother was her biggest fan.
Mary would always stand out in a crowd because of her elegant clothes and stylish hats. She also stood out because she drove a custom-made Gold Cadillac Del Caballero in the early 1970’s. The only other person driving the same custom Cadillac was Oakland A’s Baseball great, Reggie Jackson. Ironically, Reggie Jackson lost his car in a warehouse fire and Mary recently lost her car in the Coffey Park fire in Santa Rosa, a year and a half ago.
Mary was also an excellent cook, but to enhance her cooking skills, she took culinary classes at City College of San Francisco. She loved hosting dinner and cocktail parties. She was especially proud when Aretha Franklin was a dinner guest at her home in San Francisco in 1967.
One of her favorite hobbies was spending time in her garden. Mary would spend hours planting, pruning, watering and tending to her beautiful flowers.
Mary Bell was preceded in death by: her parents, William Willis and Nora Glover; her husband, Willie T. Bell; her brother, Ernest Willis; her sister, Ollie Mae Smith; and her daughter, Attorney Cheyenne E. Bell.
She leaves to cherish her memory, 3 children: Cedric W. Bell Sr., Phillip R. Bell Sr., and Sheila R. Bell; her 7 beloved grandchildren: Dr. Maya Naima Bell, Phillip Ray Bell Jr., Lauren Ashley Bell, Cedric William Bell Jr., Cheyenne Sheila Betts, Ayinde Tyehimba Bell-Stamps, and Candice Mariah-Mary Bell. She also leaves behind 9 great-grandchildren: Phoenix, James IV, Phillip III, Serenity, Lyfe, Bless, Claudia, Keira, Caleigh; 1 sister: Lessie Deon, 1 daughter in-law, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
SPECIAL THANK YOU
Lorraine Balinton, Pastor Eloise Knox, Barbara Thomas and Lorraine Spillman for all your additional support, love, and prayers during the latter part of Mary’s life.
What’s your fondest memory of Mary?
What’s a lesson you learned from Mary?
Share a story where Mary's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Mary you’ll never forget.
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