Gilbert W. Bell

If you cannot attend the Funeral Service and would like to livestream it from 11am to 12pm on Thursday, January 30, 2025, please visit the
First Mount Zion Baptist Church in Dumfries YouTube page. At 11am on 1/30/2025 select the "Live" Tab on the below link and it will show the funeral.
https://youtube.com/@firstmountzion-dumfries?feature=shared,
(The Viewing, Repast, and Burial will not be livestreamed).
The family appreciates your sympathy and prayers.
Condolences can be mailed/donated to:
Deaconess Ingrid Bell or Mrs. Brittany Jackson
2003 Silver Sycamore Lane
Dumfries, VA 22026
(703) 221-4140 [home]
Venmo: @IngridBell or @BrittanyJackson05
CashApp: $BrittanyJackson05
The Measure of a Man
Gilbert Wenrick Bell transitioned to his heavenly home on Sunday, January 12, 2025. He was the eldest of 4 children, born on November 29, 1940, in Spring Hope, North Carolina to his loving parents, the late Wenrick W. and Pauline E. Bell. At 12 years old, his parents stopped farming to move the family to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to embark on a more prosperous life. Gilbert attended Castilia Elementary School in Nash County, NC. After settling in Philadelphia, he attended Frederick Douglass Elementary, Vaux Jr High, William L. Sayre Jr High, and graduated from Overbrook High School in 1958. Gilbert served for 8 years in the United States Army Reserve
(USAR)-Secret Service Branch of the 453rd Division at the Sievers-Sanders USAR Center located in Pedricktown, New Jersey. He took basic training for Company E, 10th Battalion 2 nd Brigade in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He was stationed at Fort Monmouth and Fort Dix, NJ; Fort Drum, New York; and San Juan, Puerto Rico, before being
honorably discharged on August 4, 1979. He completed his USAR Ready Force obligation at the rank of E-5 or Sergeant on August 4,1982. Gilbert worked for Gimbels, the Sheraton Hotel, and lastly the School District of Philadelphia. After becoming a licensed engineer, he worked as a Building Engineer at several Philadelphia schools. His final school was Benjamin Franklin High, before retiring after 30 years of service in December 2002. Gilbert received many performance awards, especially due to exemplary leadership of supervising 27 employees.
At 14 years old, Gilbert joined Calvary Baptist Church in West Philadelphia and was baptized by the late Pastor Emerson Talmadge, who became his mentor. He sang on the Young People's and the Talmadge Choirs. He served as Chairman of Men's Day and The Father and Son Banquet, and was a Worship Leader often. He was ordained as a Deacon on June 27, 1981 and was the 2 nd Vice Chairman for 4 years, and the Treasurer for 7 years. Gilbert was fondly known as the "dancing deacon" since when a spiritual song moved him, "he danced like David danced". Gilbert enjoyed devotion, prayer, visiting the sick, and serving Holy Communion to the homebound, hospital, and nursing home members. Gilbert was the Chaplain of the Male Ushers. Further, he was the Chaplain of the Pennsylvania State Baptist Deacon Convention and Its Auxiliaries. He loved attending the National Deacons Convention and the National Baptist Convention USA.
Gilbert met his wife Ingrid Burkett, a new member of Calvary Baptist Church in 1977. They married 10 months later on May 20, 1978. Deacon and Deaconess Bell were blessed with the birth of their daughter Brittany Lynn Bell. He was a wonderful husband and adoring father who took his family on many trips around the world to places like Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, and China. He was active in the community at large, serving as a Block Captain, and a Democratic Committeeman. Gilbert enjoyed planning and attending the annual Bell-Parrish Family Reunion. Left to mourn are his wife Ingrid, his daughter Brittany Jackson, and his son-in-law Nicholas Jackson. Gilbert is survived by twin siblings Gerald (Tina) and Geraldine, and brother Paul. He is survived by Sister-In-Law Karen Foster and Brother-In-Law Kenneth Burkett (Theresa). He is also survived by nephews: David, Karl, Brian, and Bobbie; and nieces: Shalewa, Fayola, Paula, D'Andrea, and Sharisse. Finally, Gilbert leaves behind many cousins, friends, and associates.
Sorrowfully Submitted, The Family