Mrs. Evis Jean “Lil Sister” Bell, daughter of the late Garfield “Jack” Haynes and Eula Mae Haynes Thomas, was born June 14, 1943, in Fairfield, Texas. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Dallas, Texas, where she lived out the remainder of her life. At an early age, she professed her faith in Jesus Christ and joined her family in church evangelism throughout the city of Dallas. She loved to sing in the choir and sang with a trio of traveling choral ministers in the early 1960’s. She actively pursued and applied the Word of God to every part of her life as she continued to be an avid bible student and to sing of the praises of the Lord until she was called home.
She was a proud former Dallas Public schools student, having attended Rice Elementary School, and then graduating from Lincoln High School in 1961 after matriculating there from 6th grade. She was a stellar student, graduating near the top of her class. She excelled in sewing, cooking, typing, and English; and went on to business school in San Francisco, California.
Upon returning to the Dallas area, she served as Office Manager for Dr. Edward Mason at the Forest Avenue Hospital, where she met and was united in holy matrimony with Mr. Johnny Lee Bell in March of 1966. Together they proudly raised their three beautiful children in the Singing Hills neighborhood of the Oak Cliff community. Johnny preceded her in death on January 26, 2001.
In addition to managing the medical office, she went on to work as an administrator in the Dallas Independent School District, Braniff Airlines, and then worked at Southwestern Bell Telephone Company for many years. Soon after being promoted to supervisor there, she decided to follow in the footsteps of her own mother, a childcare proprietor, by opening her own business as an insurance agent and later broker for A.L. Williams Group. While excelling in that role, she also encouraged her husband to start a business and later, transferred all of her energies towards the administrative management of their shared business, Texas Children Network.
Ma Bell, as she was often affectionately called, took great pride in not only loving on her own children, but in also sharing her cooking, sewing, love, wisdom and motherly comfort with all that she came into contact with. She made prom dresses, braided hair, helped with job and college applications, taught women to drive and was an early advocate for women’s reproductive rights. As a result of her generous spirit, community involvement and pleasant personality, she was loved by many. Her Christian life was as beautiful as the flowers that she loved so well, and her influence will forever remain in the lives of all who knew her. Mrs. Bell had been a member of St. Luke Presbyterian Church, Eastgate Baptist Church, and later, Friendship West Baptist Church. She quietly departed her physical body on Wednesday, March 13, 2024.
Her beautiful face and life will forever be cherished in the lives of her children: Barbra/Bobbi (Kevin) Collins, of Arlington, TX; Lance Bell of Plano, TX; and Marchella Bell of Dallas, TX; 8 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren; a sister; a brother; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
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