Hazel Geneva (Ezell) Bell

Funeral services for Hazel Geneva (Ezell) Bell, age 94, of Sugar Land, Texas and formerly of Buffalo, Texas were held 11 AM, Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at the Walters Buffalo Funeral Home in Buffalo. Rev. Joy Richards, pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Centerville officiated and interment followed in the Buffalo City Cemetery. Walters Buffalo Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.

Hazel Geneva Ezell was born May 9, 1915 in Buffalo and was the oldest of four children of William Luther and Iva (Pickens) Ezell. She graduated from Buffalo High School in 1934 and also married Robert Bell in 1934. They became parents to Robert Edwin Bell, who passed away at the age of 2 1/2 months. In 1936, they became parents to Barbara, followed by Janice in 1939 and Tommy in 1942.

Most of their married life was spent in Dallas and Pasadena. Her husband passed away in 1969. Hazel again lived in Buffalo from the late 1980’s until 2000, when she went back to Houston. She was a member of Stewart Memorial United Methodist Church in Buffalo and in 1998 was selected AARP’s woman of the year for her hours of volunteer work. She loved animals, especially cats and also loved to garden and crochet. She liked to cook and often told the story of how kids would come over to her house when she was a teenager, and she would make divinity candy with a wire whip! One kid would bring eggs and another one would bring sugar, and she would supply the “elbow” grease”.

Hazel had lost her sight and been in declining health since January of 2007, when she entered the first of two nursing homes. In May 2008, she moved into Sugar Land Health Care to be near to her daughter, Barbara. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Robert Bell, and her infant son; two brothers, Howard Ezell and Larry Ezell. Hazel passed away in Sugar Land on August 15, 2009.

Survivors include: a son and daughter-in-law, Tommy & Nancee Bell of Missouri City, TX; two daughters and a son-in-law, Barbara Friesen of Sugar Land, TX and Janice and Vernon Bradley of Georgetown, TX; a sister, Margaret McNally of Dallas; seven grandchildren and an adopted granddaughter, Matilda, and ten great grandchildren.