Obituary - Bernice Bell Walker
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On November 13, 2022 God reached down and picked his most beautiful and faithful flower. Bernice Bell Walker was born February 4, 1931 to Francis Bell, Sr. and Julia Scurlock Bell on the Sturdivant Plantation in Glendora, Mississippi. Bernice was the sixth of seven children. At the age of four her parents bought their farm in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. Growing up, she helped her parents work the land and it was there that she developed her love of cultivating a variety of crops, plants and flowers.
After high school, Bernice pursued her bachelors degree at Knoxville College in Knoxville, Tennessee. She became a teacher in Mississippi public schools. Bernice then moved to Los Angeles, CA, where she reconnected with a fellow educator she met while teaching in Mississippi, Rev. Jesse E.M. Walker Sr. The two married and remained together for 57 years.
The family settled permanently in Henrico County, Virginia. Bernice received a masters in library science from North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. She went on to work as a medical librarian for the McGuire Veterans Affairs Center for over 35 years. She was a long-time member of First United Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia.
Bernice was well known for her green thumb. She spent her later years tending to her garden of roses, hydrangeas, alliums, cacti, and more. She was also a fitness enthusiast and was a member of The Tuckahoe Family YMCA.
Bernice is deeply loved and missed. Bernice was preceded in death by her husband, Rev. Jesse E.M. Walker, Sr. She is survived by her three children: Alice Denise Walker-Hall, Jesse E.M. Walker, Jr. and Buenos Aires Walker; her three grandchildren: Terryn Hall, Samuel Hall, and
Julia “CeeCee”Hall-Davis (Richard Davis III); sisters Kathryn Bell-Rice (Chicago, IL) and Allie V. Bell Jacox (Bloomington, MN); and a host of relatives and friends.
A viewing for Bernice will be held Saturday, November 19, 2022 from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Woody Funeral Home-Parham, 1771 North Parham Road, Richmond, VA 23229. A funeral service will occur Monday, November 21, 2022 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM at First United Presbyterian Church, 3401 North Ave, Richmond, VA 23222. A graveside service will occur Tuesday, November 22, 2022 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Greenwood Memorial Gardens, 12609 Patterson Avenue, Richmond, VA 23238.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at woodyfuneralhomeparham.com for the Walker family.
