Shirley Mae Loving

Shirley Mae Bell Loving was born on June 29, 1950, to the union of Uthel Bell and Bessie Mae Bell Sanders in Beirne, Arkansas.She accepted Christ at an early age and was a member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

Shirley was an independent woman and mother. She worked for over 30 years at International Paper Company while raising her eight children as a single mother, but able to provide for them well beyond the necessities of life, exceeding the equivalent of a two-parent home. She remained dedicated to her Christian beliefs and brought up her children also knowing and loving the Lord.

Throughout her life and career, she maintained close ties to her family and loved ones and enthusiastically enjoyed entertaining, get-togethers, fish fry’s, bar-b-que’s, and card games.  She had long ago overcome her shyness and was widely known for her quick wit and charm. She enjoyed dressing up in her Sunday’s best just as much as she enjoyed dressing down to dredge through foliage for a better fishing spot at the water’s edge.

She enjoyed the many benefits of not only having a large family but being from a large family. With a youthful spirit, she continued to enjoy life with the exuberance of a teenager, all while continuing to quilt, and cook some of the best tasting southern food from her soul.

Above all, Shirley will be remembered for having a gentle spirit and sweet soul. On Wednesday, December 9, 2020, she passed from this life. Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Alberta “Bird” Young; a sister, Annie Thomas, and a brother, Herbert Bell.

Her memories will linger with her seven children: Loretta Young Marks (Randy) of Curtis, AR, Ivory Young, Jr. (Filicia) of Little Rock, CA, Robert Young (Melissa) LaCarza, NM, Pamala Young of Gurdon, AR, David Young of Gurdon, AR, Lavonda Young of Gurdon and Vanesha Young of Hope, AR; twenty-nine, grandchildren and twenty-one great-grandchildren; four sisters, Bessie Rogers of Gurdon, AR, Joyce Brown of Gurdon, AR, Barbara Smith of Arkadelphia, AR, and Ruby Gatlin of Gurdon, AR; three brothers, Sammy Bell of Gurdon, AR, Randy Bell of Curtis, AR and Andy Bell (Sharon) of Gurdon, A. She also leaves a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, special friends, Ola Henry, Tocura Giles, and Fannie Scott, and other friends.

Walk-Thru Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Friday, December 18, 2020, at Williams Funeral Home, 1626 Logan Street. Final tributes to her life will be shared 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 19, 2020, at The Pavilion at Mt. Canaan Baptist Church. The committal service and final resting place will be at Shady Grove Cemetery in Beirne, Arkansas.

Thank you for the outpouring of love and sympathy was we tarry this journey called death. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8