Ellen Bell Campbell

Ellen Bell Campbell died Friday, December 20, 2024, at Sunnyside Retirement Community in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She was born Ellen Kent Bell on Jan. 1, 1932, in Dublin, Virginia, to the late Francis and Stella Currie Bell. She attended high school at Stuart Hall in Staunton, graduating in 1949. She then enrolled at Salem College in Winston Salem, NC., where she earned a degree in home economics.

Ellen worked as a home economist for Appalachian Power Company in Marion, Virginia, where she met Dr. Joseph Campbell. The couple married in 1958, at New Dublin Presbyterian Church. Their reception was held at Rockwood, her family's ancestral home, a place Ellen cherished and where her family lived for a year during the Great Depression.

As a young woman she lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Charlottesville before settling in Martinsville. In 1985, after her son graduated high school, Ellen moved to Harrisonburg where she became an active member of First Presbyterian Church. She served eagerly in the prison ministry, in local missions, and as an elder. Though her physical presence was tiny, her impact was huge. She was a conscientious and fervent prayer warrior. Along with her family, her church and her faith were the most important parts of her life.

She also had a special love for the ministry of Kerus Global and considered founders Marcia Ball and Jennie Cerullo her "special daughters."

Ellen is survived by her devoted son, Joseph Richard "Dick" Campbell and his wife, Tracey of Nags Head, North Carolina, and three grandsons, Joseph Cameron, John Dickson, and Bruce Chancellor Campbell.

She is also survived by nieces, Martha Graham, Libby Stevens; nephew, Francis "Frank" Bell; sister-in-law, Joanne Bell; several cousins, including O.M. "Sonny" Porterfield, and by numerous great and great great-nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and former husband, she was predeceased by her brothers, Francis and Daniel Bell and sister-in-law, Isabelle Bell.

Ellen leaves behind a legacy of family, of deep and abiding faith, and of caring for others. In lieu of flowers, the family would consider contributions to Kerus Global a fitting memorial to the woman of faith they loved so dearly. https://kerusglobal.org Kerus Global Education, 245 Newman Ave., Suite B, Harrisonburg, VA 22801)

A service of remembrance will be held Mon., Dec. 30, at 3:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Harrisonburg. The service will be preceded by a reception at 2 p.m. in the church social hall. At a later date, Ellen will be laid to rest near New Dublin Presbyterian Church, the place that first nurtured her lifelong faith.

Condolences may be shared at kygers.com.