Marybelle H. (Horton) Bell

Marybelle Horton (Clark) Bell passed away on May 27th from complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. She was born on April 28, 1937 in Statesville, NC , the only child of the late James P. Horton and Mary Sherrill Horton. Marybelle graduated from Statesville High School in 1954, where she was head cheerleader and the Carrousel Princess.  She graduated from Salem College in Winston-Salem in 1958 and taught school in Pineville, NC.  On June 20, 1959 she married her high school sweetheart, Johnny Clark of Statesville, who survives. Marybelle and Johnny were incredibly supportive parents to Dawne Clark, of Statesville and Chip Clark, of Cincinnati as well as being active members of the Statesville community.  Marybelle had an amazing sense of style, and in the late 1970’s, along with Edwin and Louise Hunter and Bert and Sue Walser operated The Surrey House – a gift shop in Newtowne Plaza.  She was a lifelong member of Broad St. Methodist Church where she was very active as a Sunday school teacher and member of the United Methodist Women.  She was also “Woman of the Year” in the Beta Sigma Phi sorority. Her greatest accomplishment in the Statesville community came in the early 80’s when she was the driving factor in starting the first Soup Kitchen in Statesville.  She petitioned downtown Statesville churches and community leaders to create a place where people who couldn’t afford a hot meal could go – an early precursor to the wonderful mission Fifth Street Ministries provides today. It was not an easy task for her – some of the churches were less than receptive, but she was committed - driving to the fast food restaurants in the Signal Hill area in the mornings to pick up food they didn’t sell to be used at the Soup Kitchen later. She was a champion for people in Statesville who were in need. During this time, she was also a tireless caregiver for 14 years for her mother, Mary Horton, when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and helped to start one of the earliest Alzheimer’s Support Groups in NC. She taught at North Iredell High School and helped students who had failed the NC Competency test to pass.  In 1992 she married Al Bell, who survives, and she worked in the Rockingham County school system mentoring women in high school who became pregnant. Before being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she returned to North Iredell High School as a substitute teacher. Marybelle is also survived by two grandsons, Chase and Logan Clark of Illinois and their mother, Kim Hewitt Clark, her daughter –in-law Julie Clark of Cincinnati and by Al’s daughters, Jamie Gray and Stacey Solis and their children. She is survived by many Sherrill and Horton cousins, her very special first cousin Winifred Holton and our ‘family fairies” Jackie Tomlin and Susan Ervin, who have been there through every step of this disease with us. We would like to thank the very caring staff of Clare Bridge, Mooresville Genesis and especially Hospice of Iredell County who made all of this so much more bearable for Marybelle and her family. Condolences may be sent online to the family to www.nicholsonfunerals.com . In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Fifth Street Ministries 1421 Fifth St., Statesville, N.C. 28677 or Hospice of Iredell County, 2347 Simonton Rd., Statesville, N.C. 28625. A Memorial Service will be held Wednesday, June 1 at 2:00 p.m. at Broad Street United Methodist Church.  The family will receive friends in Memorial Hall following the service. Nicholson Funeral Home is entrusted with the arrangements.