In Memoriam: Blanche B. Bell (1915-2005)

Early last Sunday morning, my great-aunt, Blanche Beverly Bell, passed away. She was the last of 7 Beverly children to survive, her younger brother having passed in late December. She was very much a grandmother to me. When my father's mother, Blanche's younger sister, died when he was only 13, she took him in and became like a mother to him, more than an aunt. Since she had no children of her own, and my father was left without his mother, the two naturally needed each other.

She had such a strong influence on my father, that I had no choice but to be affected greatly by this amazing woman as well. She was "Beverly" true and true: generous, altruistic, intelligent, persistant, stubborn, strong-minded, and extremely close to her family. She really loved children. She loved caring for them. She loved seeing that they always got what they needed. She particularly believed strongly in the education of children and served as a teacher and librarian in the Baltimore City Public School System for over 40 years. Thus, she always wanted me to get the most out of my own education, and I have vowed to never let her down in this respect.

She was one of the most generous and un-selfish people I have known in my lifetime. She is a true role model in every sense of the word. Anything you could every want that she had to offer she would give without hesitation. My great-aunt, my "grandmother," Blanche Bell, will truly be missed. The only way I can sufficiently honor her is to keep her memory alive in my heart, to live as she did, and teach my children about this amazing person. Though the last in a series of familial "giants" has fallen, thier generation will never be forgotten. Now my father can meet his real mother and the one who took him in and cared for him 40 years again in Heaven.

Much Love Always. Be at Peace.