Dollie Anne Bell

Dollie Anne Bell, 94, of Canyon, passed away on Sunday, September 22, 2024. Services will be at 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, September 26, 2024 at the First Methodist Church of Canyon with Rev. Charlie Keys officiating. Burial will follow in Dreamland Cemetery.

Dollie was born on January 16, 1930 in Salisbury, NC, the baby of six children born to Milas and Theresa (Mahaley) Glover. She was born blind and gained her sight at age three.

Dollie moved to Texas to marry a cowboy but instead fell in love with a passenger elevator mechanic and married Bill Bell on December 4, 1948 and they lived in Garland, Texas. Their first child was Bill Bell, Jr., born in September of 1949. Work took them North to Washington DC where their second child, Debbie Bell, was born in September of 1951. While in Washington DC, Bill fixed an elevator in the White House. Not too many people can say that! Dollie worked tirelessly around the clock helping her son overcome polio, all the while expecting their third child, Nancy Jean Bell, born in July of 1955.

As Dollie lived married life, she and Bill enjoyed many different hobbies together. They belonged to the Sheriff's Posse, where they rode in many parades, and they also had a pair of Tennessee Walker horses and led many Grand Entries at various rodeos. They were CB enthusiasts as well and were part of the React community which helped during the 1978 flood and tornados, serving up coffee and donuts. They enjoyed bowling, which led them to travel and bowl in different tournaments. They were also great golfers and would travel throughout the Texas Panhandle competing in golf tournaments, and to this day, Thursday-Sunday golf is on TV with Dollie watching to see if her favorite golfers are winning.

Through the years, Dollie always had a love for all kinds of animals. From a 70-gallon aquarium with two "Chocolate Soldiers" (like piranhas), a pet skunk named Kittypew, a pet crow named Pete, a pet owl named Esmerelda, and countless dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs, Angora sheep, turkeys, geese, chickens, guineas, and goats, but her biggest love over the last 30 years or so was turtles. Her family lived in the country where they had the land to have the animals, but they lived some in the city too. Dollie didn't like the city much because she loved open doors and windows to be able to look outside and see what was going on. She loved the fresh air and being able to see all her animals enjoying their feed and running around. Now back to the turtles...Dollie was known as 'The Turtle Lady.' When the family lived on Foster Lane in Canyon, she had about 48 turtles. These were the creek turtles you see. She even had a turtle pond built in the shape of a turtle! She now has her beloved pet turtle, Tortie. He is a 150 lb. desert tortoise that was given to her, and she always said Tortie was an unusual pet but a good conversational animal. She once had a Canyon police officer do a doubletake to make sure of what he was seeing in her yard. He had to back up and check to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

Dollie was very happy sitting on the back porch watching cars go by or stopping to take pictures of Tortie. She lived a very wonderful life and was blessed by all the love her family and friends showed her throughout the years. She will be truly missed.

Dollie is preceded in death by her "Swabbie" Bill Bell of 40 years and her parents.

Survivors include one son, Bill Bell, Jr. and wife, Donna of Collinsville, OK; daughters, Debbie Vega and husband, Manuel of Canyon and Nancy Mathews and Kenny of Shallowater; 9 grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren; and 12 great, great grandchildren.

The family would like to thank Five Points Nursing and Rehabilitation and Gentiva Hospice for their loving care.

The family suggests memorials be to Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675, ASPCA, 11901 S. Coulter St., Amarillo, TX 79119, or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.