9th Episcopal District
B. Johnson, Editor, St. John AMEN
Deaconess Sarah Davis (Granny) Bell
“A Long, Loving and Well Lived Life”
Reprinted with permission from the family.
Aging in the Bible is said to be a sign of experience. The Lord promises His continued love and concern for the elderly. He declares in Isaiah 46:4, “I will be your God throughout your lifetime-until your hair is white with age. I will carry you along and save you.” The Lord carried Deaconess Sarah Davis Bell from May 6, 1919, in Meridianville, Alabam, until she transitioned peacefully into eternal rest on February 9, 2025.
“Yannie,” as she was affectionately called, was preceded in death by her parents, John and Sarah Davis; her sons, John Allen and Dewey Bell; her daughter Vivian Humphrey; and her siblings, Bertha Lee Davis, Johnnie Mae Davis, Earline Webb, Jerome Davis, Ola Davis, Elsie Lofton, Clarence Davis, Thomas Davis, Rosie Woodson and Ernest Davis.
Being blessed with longevity, good health, and a mind clear as a bell, she always embraced the sunshine and laughed through the rain. When she smiled, her love and kindness filled you and her spirit you couldn’t disguise. His family and friends held her dear because her strength was inspirational, and her intent was always sincere.
Deaconess Bell joined St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1932 at the age of 13 under the leadership of the Reverend Peter Robert Johnson and continued to display a constant fervor for Jesus Christ. When she was physically able she worked in the ministries, supported the ministers, and shared her time, talents, and treasures to ensure a future for St. John.
She was an avid fan of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University sports. For many years, Deaconess Bell was one of the first people on the scene in the tailgate area. She was very generous with her love and hugs for all those that she encountered, even if she had just met them for the first time. She was recognized on her 100th birthday with a brick paver that was laid within the Normalite Walkway on the Quad of the Alabama A&M University Campus.
Those left to cherish her memory and continue her legacy are her devoted and loving sons, Robert Davis, Jeffrey Bell,and David Bell; her three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren. A host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends will certainly cherish the times spent in the presence of this loving and kin,d spirit-filled woman.
The Reverend Maurice Wright, II, all former ministers of St. John AME Church, the officers and members who experienced her love and devotion mourn the loss but will hold dear the moments spent with our beloved Deaconess Sarah “Granny” Davis Bell.
“A well-lived life means to have taken every chance you could have. A life well-lived means that you did what YOU wanted to do no matter what others said. You lived the life YOU wanted to liv,e and you’re happy in all aspects of your life. We love you, GRANNY BELL, and as she would say in her famous words: I love you more. You’re mine, and there ain’t nothing you can do about it.
