Elizabeth Arthur Bell

Elizabeth Arthur Bell, 83, passed away peacefully on Easter morning. Raised in her 1870s childhood home, Geranium Valley, “Babe” was the daughter of the late Charles Davis Arthur and Anna Ball Stronach Arthur. She is predeceased by her sister, Anna Ball Arthur Mayo, and husbands, L. Sneed High and Victor E. Bell, Jr.

Elizabeth, affectionately called “Shishi,” was adored by her family; daughter Anna Ball Hodge and husband, Joe; son Hubert Reid Jones Jr. and wife Coles; son Charles Davis Arthur Jones and wife Lisa; grandchildren, Anna Ball Hodge, Elizabeth Hodge Carr and husband Brandt, Josephine Lawrence Hodge, Hubert Reid Jones III, Ruffin Norfleet Jones, Eli Arthur Jones, Dylan Edward Jones, and Avett Charles Jones. Elizabeth was first married to Hubert Reid Jones.

Elizabeth will be remembered for her bright, cheerful paintings that adorn homes across North Carolina. An avid reader and savvy bridge player, she also loved movies, Broadway musicals, politics, NC State athletics, and professional baseball. She loved Christ Church, and spent many hours cooking with the kitchen guild and serving at Wake Relief. She was also very active in the early growth of the Boys & Girls Club. Elizabeth was a champion of the underdog, with a soft heart and a sharp mind. She inspired her children and grandchildren to respect all people, regardless of their backgrounds, and she often sacrificed her own interest to care for those less fortunate. Shishi taught her family to stand up for what is right and just, regardless of popular opinion.

Her family wishes to thank those that faithfully brought communion and visited her from Christ Church as well as special caregivers at both Oaks at Whitaker Mill and Brighton Gardens.

Funeral service to celebrate her life will be 2:00 pm on Wednesday, April 4th at Christ Episcopal Church, 120 E. Edenton Street, Raleigh, with a reception to follow the service in the Parish Hall. The family will receive friends at the home of Anna Ball and Joe Hodge on Tuesday from 5:00 until 7:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Charles D. (Zack) Arthur Memorial Endowment at NCSU Libraries: Friends of the Library, P.O. Box 7111, Raleigh, NC 27695 or Christ Episcopal Church.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC.