Annie Ruth Bell

Annie Ruth Bell, 86, passed away peacefully on September 21, 2025, following a period of declining health. She was born in South Carolina on January 20, 1939, and was the daughter of the late Alvester Matthews and China Ann Fish Matthews.

In addition to her parents, Annie is preceded in death by her biological mother, Annie Ruth Dean, and by her beloved husband, Gorden Crumpler Bell.

Annie was a loving wife, step-mother, and step-grandmother. Later in her life she met and married her love and best friend, Gorden Bell, spending many memorable years together before his passing on July 17th, 1996. In her personal life Annie found great joy in decorating for the holidays, travel, and especially her plants and flowers.

The thing she was most fond of was her family and close friends, her love and commitment to them was something to admire and was reflected in all that she did. She will be missed greatly and will forever be remembered by her family and friends as a woman of great compassion and strength.

Annie is survived by her step-son, G. Cecil Bell and wife Martha; grandsons, Nathan Bell and wife Summer, and Noah Bell and wife Lauren; granddaughter, Emily Jones and husband Kent; and great-grandchildren, Payson, Finn, Watson, Sawyer, and Harrison.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, September 30th, at 3:00 PM at Piney Grove Chapel Baptist Church, 4440-A Piney Grove Road, Angier, NC 27501. Burial will follow after the service at Kennebec Baptist Church Cemetery.