Roberta Keller Bell

To her family, she was

"Memaw" - a title that carried with it warmth and unconditional love.

Memaw was the heart of her family. She was the person everyone turned to for the latest family updates.

Her accepting, forgiving and accommodating spirit was unmatched.

Born in Bucyrus, Ohio in 1937 and raised in Cleveland, she married in 1955 and moved with her family in 1973 to New Orleans, when her four children were ages 2, 4, 6, and 8. There she spent the next 52 years.

Family was Memaw's greatest joy and she absolutely delighted in the holidays, when every square inch of her home would become filled with dozens of family members. Her anticipation for holiday gatherings would begin weeks in advance when she would start baking cookies all day long to make sure there would always be enough.

Predeceased by her parents, Robert Warren Keller and Mildred Ewing Keller, and by sister Ruthie Keller Aiello (Bruce).

She is survived by her beloved husband of 70 years, James "Jim" Bell, and their children: Rob (Bonnie), Gary (Monica), Ron (Tessie), and Lora.

Her legacy continues through her grandchildren Ryan (Brigid), Mandy (Devin), Keller (Maribel), Justin, Gary Jr., Richard, James, Blake, Brenna, Brooks, and Parker, and her great-grandchildren Collin, Lucy, Adalynn, and Alexander.

There wasn't an animal Memaw didn't love, from the family pets over the years, to strays and even wild animals who seemed to know instinctively that her heart was open to them.

Before her retirement, she was a devoted Registered Nurse. She began working at West Jefferson General Hospital, where she rose to become Director of Nursing Pediatrics. She later worked for years in Pediatrics at Meadowcrest Hospital and Jo Ellen Smith Memorial Hospital.

She later became the school nurse at Alice M. Harte Elementary School, where she touched many young lives.

A celebration of life will be held Saturday, June 14th, at 10:00 am at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Boulevard, New Orleans, La. 70124, with a short service to follow at noon.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you show kindness to someone, share a sweet treat, or give an animal a little extra love — all things Memaw would have done herself.

Her legacy lives on in the hearts she touched, and the family she built. She will be missed more than words can say and she will never be forgotten.