Mary Helen Bell

Mary Helen Bell transitioned on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. She was born on July 23, 1934, to the late Charlie Hedrick Wright and the late Cannie Mae Howard Wright in Troy, Alabama. She was the second of nine children born to their union.  Helen turned her life over to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at an early age. She joined Dunn’s Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church where she remained a lifelong, dedicated member. Funeral services will be at 11:00am on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at Dunn's Chapel AME Church with Pastor Frances Crittendon officiating.  Burial will follow in the church cemetery.  Visitation will be from 4:00-6:00pm on Friday, May 5, 2023 at Green Hills Funeral Home.
Helen was blessed with two children, Anne W. Cannon of Dothan, Alabama, and Bettie L. Williams-Silvia of Windsor, Connecticut. She later married the late James W. Bell of Troy, Alabama. They possessed a unified love and admiration for traveling and gardening. They were active members of the Marva Pierce Travel Club in Troy, AL. 
Helen was a graduate of the Pike County Training School in Brundidge, AL. She was also a member of the Arnold Chapter 340 OES. She served in numerous roles in the church. She was a faithful member of the Usher, Stewardess, and Trustee Boards. She was also entrusted to the position of church treasurer. Her passion for cooking and baking was seen through her serving as head of the kitchen ministry.   She was well known for her scrumptious creations and had a fondness for recreating dishes with her own special touch. In her free time, she could be found reading magazines and cookbooks and watching cooking shows. Helen also loved people, which was evident in her many years in the retail industry at The Diana Shop and Stanton’s on the Square in Troy, Alabama. 
Helen was preceded in death by her father, Charlie Wright; her mother, Cannie M. Wright; her husband, James W. Bell; her son-in-law, Jon Michael Silvia; her brother, Stanley J. Wright; and her sister, Dorothy L. Hicks. She is survived by her two daughters, Anne C. Cannon (Johnny), of Dothan Alabama, and Betty L. Williams-Silvia, of Windsor, Connecticut; her only grandchild, Nedra A.  Williams, of Troy, Alabama; one great-grandson, Avery W. Jones; and one great-granddaughter, Jahara T. Pryor, both of Troy, Alabama. She is also survived by four sisters Inease Reddick, of Douglasville, Georgia; Kathleen W. Forbish(Leo), of Troy, Alabama; Annie P. Wilson (James Davis), of Troy, Alabama; Evelyn B. Kidd (Jimmy), of Windsor, Connecticut; two brothers, Homer C. Wright (Lucile), of Troy, Alabama; Arthur D. Wright (Maritza), of St. Petersburg, Florida; an uncle, Ewell Howard (Annie Ruth), of Pensacola, Florida; three aunts, Mary E. Reddock, of Detroit, Michigan; Lessie M. Wilson, of Enterprise, Alabama; and Flora Howard, of Detroit, Michigan; as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who all loved her dearly. 

The staff of Green Hills Funeral Home is honored to serve the Bell family.