Alice Ruth "Pat" (Pegues) Bell

Alice Ruth (Pegues) Bell, affectionately known as “Pat,” was born September 11, 1957, in Lafayette County, MS to the late Henderson Nolan and Pauline (Hilliard) Pegues.

Pat was a 1976 graduate of Oxford High School.

A week after graduating high school, she met and married the love her life, Willie Lawrence Bell.

Pat was employed with the department of Environmental Services at the Oxford Lafayette County Hospital. She later gained employment at Kroger as a cashier and retired in 2020, after 21 years of service. People often referred to her as “Mrs. Alice.”

On May 19, 1984, Pat and Lawrence both decided to dedicate their lives to Jehovah and were baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses. She began to serve as a regular pioneer in the Oxford congregation, preaching and teaching about the Bible while doing door to door ministries as Jesus instructed us to do in Matthew 28:19-20. Her love for the Bible and deep concern for the well-being of her fellow man became her trademarks as she faithfully committed her life to helping others come to know Jehovah.

She always took advantage of the opportunity to show and encourage others of God’s words to help bring them to a full understanding of His teachings.

In her spare time, Pat enjoyed traveling, working in her flower garden, attending family gatherings, and shopping. She was true fashionista. Her nieces and nephews were the apples of eye, and she played a vital role in each of their upbringings.

On Monday morning, December 5, 2022, Alice Ruth (Pegues) Bell, peacefully passed away in death while surrounded by her family. Her memory will forever be in the hearts of her family.

She is survived by her loving husband of 46 years, Willie Lawrence Bell of Oxford, MS; siblings, Edna Dickens of Abbeville, MS, Robert Glen (Mary) Pegues, Murlene Pegues, Willie Mae Pegues, and Willie Gene Pegues all of Oxford, MS; four aunts, Bessie Bright of Chicago, IL, Estelle Campbell, Myra Cross and Willie Bell Hilliard all of Oxford, MS; six brothers-in-law; nine sisters-in-laws, and a host of special nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.

Alice was preceded in death by her parents, mother and father-in-law; siblings, Corrine, James, Charlie, and Murry; sister and brother-in-law, and nephews.