Dolores Bell Hendrix

Dolores Bell Hendrix, age 89, passed away on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022 in Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Dolores was born on August 25, 1932 to T.L. and Novella (Mitchell) Bewley in Gainesville, Texas. The daughter of a barber/cattle trader/Baptist Deacon and homemaker, she was a smart, responsible child. She was the middle daughter and had an older sister Faye (Bewley) Sigler and younger sister Lynda (Bewley) Evans. She wore her hair in curls when she was young and was always told she looked like Shirley Temple. Some of her favorite childhood memories included spending time with her Grandma Mitchell, playing with her chickens in the backyard.   

She was married to Robert Doyle Bell from 1949 to 1975 with whom she had two children, Joy (Bell) Pittman and Robert “Bobby” Glen Bell. Joy and Bobby were raised in Ardmore, Oklahoma. She was an incredibly present, supportive mother, and the biggest champion of her children. 

She married Rex Milton Hendrix on April 17, 1981 in Las Vegas. They spent decades together living across North and East Texas in Dallas, on Lake Cypress Springs in Mt. Vernon, and eventually in Sulphur Springs. 

Dolores worked for Frito-Lay in Dallas and was a supervisor in the accounts receivable department. Her coworkers remember her fairness and kindness and her love for the after work happy hour, which is where she met her husband, Rex. 

Dolores was fiercely devoted to her family and enjoyed her roles as mother, aunt, grandmother, great aunt, great grandmother, great great aunt, and great great grandmother more than anything else. She was known simply as “Memaw” to many. She was the beloved matriarch of a large family with two children, four stepchildren, four grandchildren, eight step grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, twenty step great grandchildren, one great great grandchild, and three step great great grandchildren. Not to mention the many friends of her family she “adopted” along the way. 

Dolores made friends everywhere she went. She made a lasting impression on everyone she met, and was adored by all who knew her. She enjoyed visiting with people and traveling. Some of her favorite trips included going to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe with her children and their spouses, driving Route 66 with her husband, and going on a Caribbean cruise with her daughter’s family. 

She was an unforgettable cook and baker and was most famous for her sausage bread,  chicken and dressing, potato salad, bread and butter pickles, biscuits and gravy, chicken and dumplings, and zucchini muffins. Her peach cobbler, Christmas cookies, and peach-a-cot jelly were known to cause family arguments over who would get leftovers. She even made beautiful, multi-tiered wedding cakes for her daughter’s friends. 

She loved to sew and embroider and made everything from clothes to drapes to baby blankets. She loved classic country and western music and the big bands and loved to sing and dance. She enjoyed spending time outside– particularly on the lake and amongst the beautiful flowers she and Rex grew. Her hydrangea and azaleas were particularly stunning. She was a lover of weekly bingo at the American Legion and road trips to Oklahoma and Louisiana to play the slots. 

Tough as nails, Dolores survived lung cancer, a stroke, and challenges with her mobility toward the end of her life, however, her bright smile, warm laugh, and sharp wit never faded. She still visited “the beauty shop” to have her hair done, painted her nails, wore matching jewelry, and put on lipstick right until the end. She refused to leave the house without earrings. 

Dolores taught us all that family is #1, how to love unconditionally, to speak your mind honestly, and how to enjoy life. She taught us how nice it is to start your evening with Canadian Club whiskey and to be kind, but not to suffer fools. 

She is survived by her spouse of 41 years, Rex Hendrix of Sulphur Springs, Texas; daughter, Joy Bell (Larry) Pittman of Mount Vernon, Texas; son, Bob (Janie) Bell of Ardmore, Oklahoma; grandchildren, Robin (Allison) Roden, Lacey (Matt) Tomanek, Clay Bell, and Kimberly Normile. Great grandchildren, Emma Roden, Ashlyn Roden, Sutton Tomanek, Arlo Tomanek, Clayton Bell, Cody Bell, and Madison Normile; sister, Lynda (L.D.) Evans; stepdaughters, Rexie Hendrix, Gail Shaffer, Lyndia Silvers and Tammy Edney. She was preceded in death by her parents and her older sister. 

Dolores leaves behind an incredible legacy and will live on through her family who have been shaped by her and the wonderful memories they created. 

 A Celebration of Life will take place at 11:00am on Saturday, July 23rd, 2022 at Sam B. Harvey Funeral Home.

Please consider donating in her name to the American Heart Association, American Legion, or another reputable charity of your choice. 

www.samharveyfuneralhome.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Dolores Bell Hendrix, please visit our floral store.