VALDOSTA —
Sister Carrie Mae (Johnson) Bell, of Jennings, FL, went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, November 7, 2012, at South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, GA.
She was born on December 26, 1918 in Hamilton County, FL to Minnie (Jones) Johnson and James “Peck” Johnson, Sr. On September 16, 1939, she married her long time friend and “pal”, Ervin ‘Doc’ Bell. To this union, eleven children were born.
During the summer of 1948, Ervin and Carrie Mae heard the Gospel of Christ during a tent meeting in Valdosta, GA, and were baptized into the Lord’s Church. Until her health failed, she traveled from Jennings to Valdosta for more than sixty years to Worship and served the West Adair Street Church of Christ, now Woodlawn Forrest Church of Christ. There she was fondly known to all the kids as ‘the candy lady’, and to adults as ‘the lady with the big hats’.
She is preceded in death by her husband of sixty-three years, Ervin ‘Doc’ Bell, her parents, five brothers (Johnny, Jack, Frank, James ‘Jim’, and Eleck Johnson), and two sisters (Corine Smith and Rebecca Jackson).
Sister Bell leaves her legacy of love, commitment, dedication, and devotion to four generations: Her eleven children - James E. Bell, Jr. of Jennings, FL; Joseph L. Bell and wife Francis (Miami, FL); Abraham W. Bell and wife Georgia (Daytona Beach, FL); Minnie L. Robinson of Tallahassee, FL; Mary L. Bell of Jennings, FL; Viola “Pat” Bell, of Jennings, FL; Martha A. Bell of Valdosta, GA; Vivian M. Godfrey and husband Gene (Valdosta, GA); Euralentha “Lent” Bell, Sr. and wife Nina (Powder Springs, GA); Doretha D. Bell of Jennings, FL; and Coretha B. Shearry and husband Frankie Sr. (Lake Park, GA). A special cousin and ‘adopted’ child, Edward L. Brown and wife Johnnie Mae (Lakeland, FL), and two brothers, Izell James of Detroit, MI and Matthew James of Saint Petersburg, FL.
In addition, she leaves 26 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren, and 18 great, great-grand children. Of these children, four preceded her in death. Two grandsons (Christopher A. Bell and Charlie E. Godfrey, II) and two great-great grandsons (Khiry H. Mathis and Willie ‘Rocky’ Whetstone, Jr.). Three of these special grandchildren lived with her and helped to care for her daily; Jon Kevin Bell, Shari R. Bell, and Sharod D. Bell-Keith.
She leaves her dear friend and neighbor, Jessie Graham (Greenville, FL). Special cousins, Novella and Blondell Ladler (Miami, FL), John Jones (Jasper, FL), and Norris Evans (Lake Wales, FL). Special friends, Hayward Henry and Irene (St. Petersburg, FL), and Ruby Mae Collins (Jasper, FL). Special nephews and nieces, The Johnson’s, The Jackson’s, and The Kirby’s. Also, members of Woodlawn Forrest Church of Christ, a host of other relatives and community friends, and many others whom she touched with her strong, God-fearing life, and humorous ways.
A “thank you” to her medical providers of North Florida and South Georgia; with special thanks to Lisa and Arlene, Omni HealthCare, Lake City, FL.
Funeral service for Mrs. Carrie Mae Bell will be held on Saturday, November 17, 2012, at 11 am from the sanctuary of the Woodlawn Forrest Church of Christ, 1515 N. Forrest Street, Valdosta. Evangelist Leroy Butler, Jr. will officiate. Interment will follow in the Friendship Cemetery, Jennings, FL. Public viewing will be today from 10 am to 3:30 pm at Godfrey Funeral Home and from 5 pm to 7pm at Jasper Church of Christ, 808 N.W. 3rd Street, Jasper, FL. Sympathy may be expressed by signing the online registry at www.godfreyfuneralhome.net. Personal and professional services are provided by Godfrey Funeral Home, LLC.
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