Alma Wilks Bell

Chester Mrs. Alma Louise Wilks Bell, 93, died Thursday, October 17, 2019, at her home in Chester, SC.Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM Monday, October 21, 2019, at Calvary Baptist Church with Rev. Mike Black and Rev. David Sealy officiating.Interment will follow in the church cemetery.The family will receive friends from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Sunday, October 20, at Barron Funeral Home, 133 Wylie St., Chester, SC. Mrs. Bell was born July 11, 1926 in Leeds, SC and was a daughter of the late John Carl Wilks and Bessie Mae Taylor Wilks.She was a graduate of Chester High School and attended Northern Virginia Community College.She was a retired Administrator from the Civil Service with the Department of the Navy, Chief of Naval Operations.She was the recipient of numerous awards and commendations including the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award.Mrs. Bell started and led a Girl Scout Troop in Alexandria, Virginia.She was a member of Calvary Baptist Church.Mrs. Bell provided child care for her grandchildren and many others. She is survived by two daughters, Rebecca Louise Bell Cornwell (Hughes) of Carlisle, SC and Alma Lee Bell Booterbaugh (Ron) of Alexandria, VA; two grandchildren, Brandon Lee Booterbaugh (Valerie) of Woodbridge, VA and Brittany Leigh Booterbaugh of St. Petersburg, FL; one great granddaughter, Gracie Leigh Booterbaugh; and numerous nieces and nephews.Mrs. Bell was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Edison Bell; three brothers, Carl Thomas Wilks, William Wallace Wilks and James Eli Wilks; and two sisters, Mary Eugenia Rust and Sarah Frances Ferguson. Memorials may be made to Calvary Baptist Church “Cemetery Fund”, 610 Calvary Church Rd., Chester, SC 29706. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.barronfuneralhome.com.