Barbara Wilkinson Bell

Barbara Wilkison Bell, 94, of Longview, passed away on June 20, 2025. She was preceded in death by parents, Cody and Gladys Wilkison; husband Joe; son, David; and sister, Alice Faye Martin.

Barbara was born on June 6, 1931 to Cody and Gladys Wilkison in Hubbard, Texas. She was one of 13 students the Dawson High School graduation class of 1949. She went on to graduate from Baylor University in 1953 with a degree in Sociology. During her senior year, on May 11, 1953, Barbara survived the F5 tornado that hit Waco and the Baylor campus. Alongside the 1902 Goliad tornado, it was the deadliest tornado in Texas history with 114 lives lost and is the 11th deadliest tornado in U.S. history.

In her professional life, she worked for Southwest Reserve Life Insurance in Longview, Lone Star Steel while in Mount Pleasant, and Panola Junior College when she lived in Carthage. She also owned and operated the Falling Leaves Inn bed and breakfast in Jefferson for many years. She was a member of First Baptist Church Longview. She had a beautiful voice and loved to sing in many choirs during her lifetime.

In 1954, she met Joe, and they went to his brother's Little League baseball game on their first date. They married in 1957 and went on to have three sons, David, Martin, and Blake. She and Joe moved to back to Longview after retiring in 2002.

After her first child, she dedicated her life to being a wonderful mother. She was passionate about the culinary arts and travelling domestically and internationally.

She is survived by sons, Martin and wife, Kendra, of Mount Pleasant, and Blake; daughter-in-law, Cynthia Weisinger Bell of Kamas, Utah; three grandchildren, Marshall Bell, Eric Bell and John Bell and wife Courtlyn; one great grandson, Jacob Bell; brother-in-law, Edwin Bell and wife, Carolyn, of Fort Worth; sister-in-law, Jean Bell of Sulphur Springs, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be held at Memory Park Cemetery on Tuesday, June 24 at 2823 E Marshall Ave, Longview, TX 75601. Visitation will be at 9:30 a.m. followed by the service at 10:00 a.m. Memorials may be made to the Baylor College of Medicine to support dementia research (https://give.bcm.edu/); First Baptist Church Longview, 209 E. South St., Longview, TX 75601; or the charity of your choice.