Shirley Jean Smith Bell

Mrs. Shirley Jean Smith Bell, age 79, passed away on Monday, February 21, 2022 at Sumter Retirement Village in Plains. Funeral services will be held on Friday, February 25, at 10:00 AM in the committal pavilion at Andersonville National Historic Site with Rev. Steven Golden officiating. Interment will follow in Andersonville National Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Hancock Funeral Home, 427 South Lee Street, from 5:00 until 7:00 PM on Thursday evening, February 24; and at other times at the home of Roger and Vicki Bell, 652 Bumphead Road. Born November 1, 1942 in Americus, she was the daughter of the late Clarence Odell Smith and the late Susan Elizabeth Law Smith. She worked for 47 years as a drapery maker, self employed in home decor. She was a member of Bethel Baptist Church where she taught Sunday School many years and many ages. She was a teacher of Mission Friends and served for a time as pianist and sang in the church choir. She was preceded in death in 2011 by her husband of 38 years, Herman Grady Bell; and by her daughter and son-in-law, Angie and Tommy Bishop. Survivors include her step-children: Roger and Vicki Bell, Donnie Bell, and Brenda Vartainesion; one brother and sister-in-law, David and Beth Smith; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Ethel and James Glisson; and several step-grandchildren, step-great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Alzheimers Association, 5156 River Road, Columbus, GA 31904. To sign our online guestbook and express your condolences to the family, please visit www.hancockfuneralhomeinc.com Hancock Funeral Home, 427 S. Lee St., is honored to be entrusted with these arrangements for Mrs. Shirley Jean Smith Bell.