Violet Betty Grace Bell

Betty Bell was an artist and an innovator. Her designs ranged from award winning private homes in Texas, California & Nevada; Villas in Mexico; and Ranches and Lake estates in Texas. She designed a lake home over water with the bedroom being a house boat.  She designed heating and air ducts that ran under brick floors to heat and cool the bricks.  She helped develop Sherwood Forest, a residential development in Irving, insisting that the sidewalks curve around the beautiful trees. She designed and built the first shopping center/office complex in Irving, Central Park Shopping Center at the corner of Irving Blvd and Pioneer.

GrandBetty, as she was known, lived in stunning places with beautiful views of oceans and mountains.  She was an investor, buying her first property at 18 years old.  She would buy property she loved, fix it up, and play on it for a few years, before selling.  Playing on her ‘investments’, we learned to ride horses and water ski; we would have egg hunts on horseback; sell sno-cones; ride donkeys to the beach; have dance parties and go sailing or paddle boating.  She was a 2nd mother to many, many kids and teens, always including them, along with us, on her adventures.  She had a glamourous style and would get all dolled up while riding around Dallas in her 1920s style Excalibur classic car, in Irving on her horse Jo-Jo, and in Mexico in “Lolita”, the jeep she painted by hand for her grandchildren to look like an adorable life-sized toy car character.  She remodeled RVs with elegant chandeliers and decor. 

Her imagination was remarkable…designing furniture that she would have hand carved in Mexico; lamps and Grandfather clocks made with artifacts from the 1800s that she would gather from Virginia City fields; almost life-sized Dios de Muertos skeleton dolls made with fancy necklaces and rings from the 50’s.

Betty was extraordinary with animals.  She trained over a hundred catfish to surface when she rang a bell (she especially loved to ring the bell when we were swimming); Mrs. Iggy, her wild iguana, to come for a banana when called; parakeets to dance to the song, “Put your little Foot”; dozens of chipmunks, quail, birds, doves, cottontail bunnies & jack rabbits (yes, there is a difference) to come and eat by her glass door when she sounded a triangle.

Betty’s mother, Mary Verle Issoria Money Bell and father, Daniel Pierce Bell, were both ordained ministers with their own church, Bellview Temple in Irving. The Bells were a musical family and everyone sang, harmonized and played multiple instruments. Religion played a wonderful part throughout Betty’s life. When her church needed a new roof, (the historic First Presbyterian Church in Virginia City, over 150 years old) she and her Life Partner Doug Henson, donated enough to have it restored. GrandBetty started the 1st women’s Republican Party in Irving and was one of the founders of the teen sorority, I-Teens, which is still in existence today. 

Even while facing hardships like breast cancer and a stroke, she maintained a positive outlook on life and created beauty out of difficult situations.  Her “Freedom Chair” electric wheelchair and “Liberty Bell” golf cart post-stroke were decorated in true elegant Grandbetty style, giving her the freedom to zip around Lake Tahoe and the meditation trails she created in the sagebrush on her property in Minden, Nevada. 

She was a true inspiration.  She is survived by her son, James Forrest Widener III and daughter, Stephanie Sue Widener Hendrie; son-in-law, Christopher Pennywitt Hendrie.  Grandchildren James Forrest Widener IV, Whitney O. Widener, Wolfgang Widener, and Zakary Widener (deceased); Scott Christopher Hendrie (deceased), Alyssa Belle Hendrie and Tessa Marie Hendrie.  4 Great Grandchildren so far, James Forrest Widener V, William Eugene Widener, Jocelyn Reese Widener, Henry Oliver Thomas Widener. Her loving sister Zodie Sue Brewer. Beloved Nieces, Nephews and Cousins.  Her wonderful Life Partner for 45 years was Douglas Oates Henson (deceased). 

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