Geneva M Bell

Geneva Millender Bell, 87, passed on November 22, 2023, in New Windsor, New York. Born to Minion and Dollie Millender on August 5, 1936, in Alpine, Alabama, Geneva lived her life to the fullest, laughing often, enjoying beautiful things, standing up for just causes, always keeping family central and God first. Moving to New York with her family at 16, she very much made her new city her home. Its vibrancy matched her personality, and she participated in all it had to offer. Whether it was introducing her daughters to theatre and museums, joining a protest march to obtain a park in her community, or broadening her innate sense of style with floral design courses, she was ahead of her time, an eclectic mix of culture, social justice and just plain style. Her continual desire to learn new things meant that each decade found her on a different career path, from keypunch operator in the 1960s to paraprofessional, assisting teachers in the 1970s to special education teacher in the 1980s and 90s, earning a couple of degrees along the way, and enjoying all of it. Never one to be left behind by technology, she bought a computer back in the 90s, teaching herself to email and to keep up with social media even before her kids did. Retirement brought Geneva back to Alpine where, as usual, she dived into activities that seemed to beckon to her, including volunteering at the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham and with the local Democratic party in Talladega in addition to leading Bible studies for church and enjoying daily swimming with the water aerobics class at the recreation center. More than anything, she loved spending time with her grandchildren, and later, her great grandchildren. Having married Emanuel "Buddy" Bell in 1980, they found fulfillment in doing so many of these activities together in a marriage that spanned 40 years. Geneva is survived by a large family that includes two brothers: Larry (Inez) Millender of Royal Palm Beach, FL, and Mallory (Jacqueline) Millender of Augusta, GA; a sister-in-law, Lorraine Millender of Syracuse, NY; as well as three generations of descendants that include her daughters, Denise Facey of Atlanta, GA and Melba Fawcett Sands of New Windsor, NY; a stepdaughter, Alvetta Robinson of Birmingham, AL; two stepsons: Michael (Madeleine) Bell of Pelham, NY, and Roderick (Christine) Bell of Port St. Lucie, FL; two granddaughters: Shanna (Kenneth) Muigai and Stacey (Andre) Lee; a grandson, Sean Sands; five step grandsons: Ariel (Josephine) Facey, Spencer Bell, Ryan Bell, Justin Bell, and Michael Bell Jr.; two step granddaughters: Elizabeth (Preston) Robinson King and Mica Robinson; six great-grandchildren: Hunter Muigai, Hayden Muigai, Emory Muigai, Lenox Lee, Avery Lee, and Andre Lee, Jr., and four step great-grandchildren: Xavierre Gilchrist, Jr., Johnavan Sparks, Camila Johnson, and Preston King, Jr. as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews. Geneva was preceded in death by her parents and husband as well as her sister, Melba Faye Taylor, and her brother Charles Millender.

Tributes

Geneva M Bell

August 5, 1936 - November 22, 2023