Miriam Amerson Bell

Miriam Amerson Bell died Tuesday, January 15, 2013, at the Medical Center of Central Georgia following a brief illness. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, January 19, 2013, at Snow’s Memorial Chapel on Cherry Street. Dr. Jay Harris will officiate. Visitation with the family will begin at 1:00 PM. Burial will be private for family only at a later date.

Miriam was born in Macon on June 8, 1927, to Edna Kitchens Amerson and Frank Carl Amerson, Sr., and was the first of their four children. She was full of life, fun to be with, and always a champion for her family and friends. If she had ever met you, she remembered you and would find a way to highlight your accomplishments. She met life’s challenges with determination and humor.

As a young girl she married David Winfield Worsham. They had two sons, David Richard Worsham and Gary Steven Worsham. In the early 1950s she and David built one of the first houses on Lake Sinclair where they enjoyed swimming, water skiing, and entertaining. Most of her energy was devoted to her immediate family, but she found time to become an avid bridge player, a perfect hostess, and active in community service organizations. After twenty-five years of marriage she and David divorced.

Later she married Lewis G. Burkhalter, who died in 1978, and in 1983, married a long-time friend, William B. Bell. Both Lewis and Will were Masons and Shriners, and through their participation in these organizations she enjoyed many trips, activities, getting to know people all over Georgia, and the opportunity to wear glamorous evening clothes in which she looked stunning. She traveled to Europe, Asia, and other parts of North America with friends and family. These trips were the source of adventures, often unintended, and when she returned she would regale others with accounts of narrow escapes and hilarious situations. One son describes her as Lucy (as in “I Love Lucy”) with a Southern accent.

She was a natural-born interior designer long before she earned certificates in interior design at Macon Junior College. Every home she had, from a two-room apartment with shared kitchen in Beddingfield at the end of World War II, to an elegant condominium in later years, was stamped with her talent for creating a warm and beautiful, uniquely personal haven. This included her last home in assisted living at John-Wesley Villas, filled with the best of her antique accessories and eclectic furniture.

Miriam was a life-long Methodist. She grew up at Cherokee Methodist Church, attended Mulberry United Methodist Church for many years and joined Martha Bowman United Methodist Church in the early 1990s. She had been a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husbands, her brother, Frank C. Amerson, Jr., and step-brother, William David Logan.

She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, David Richard Worsham and Jennifer Bailey Worsham of Atlanta, and Gary Steven Worsham and Catherine Civello of Dallas, Texas; grandson, Austen Winfield Worsham of Houston, Texas; sisters, Laura Amerson Oakley (Lee) of Decatur, Georgia, Hazel Logan Tyson, Mary Amerson Willingham Burt, both of Macon; sister-in-law, Mary Jones Amerson of Macon; step-son, Larry Bell of Macon, as well as a number of nieces and nephews.

The family appreciates the attentive and personal care she received from the entire staff at John-Wesley Villas and the Intensive Care Unit of the Medical Center of Central Georgia. True to her nature, she made new friends at John-Wesley Villas and they have expressed how much they miss her quick wit and penchant for making sure everyone at the table had exactly what they needed.

Donations in Miriam’s memory may be made to Martha Bowman United Methodist Church, 500 Bass Road, Macon 31210 or to the charity of the donor’s choice.

Visit www.snowsmacon.com to express tributes.

Snow’s Memorial Chapel, Funeral & Cremation Services Cherry Street, has charge of arrangements.