Eleanor Bell Alexander

Mrs. Eleanor Bell Alexander of Asheboro died Friday, July 8, 2016 surrounded by her loving family. She was born October 16, 1919 in Mooresville, NC to the late Dr. A. E. Bell and Lilla Mann Bell and was the youngest of six children. She was educated in Mooresville Public Schools and graduated from the Woman's College (UNC-G). During World War II, she served in the American Red Cross in Jacksonville, FL and afterwards, taught in Gastonia, Charlotte, and Asheboro elementary schools where she loved teaching kindergarten/1st grade for 20 years. She was also an active member of First Presbyterian Church, serving as a Sunday School teacher and Elder as well as a Lifetime member of the Women of the Church. She cherished her family dearly and always felt blessed to be part of such a wonderful family. She always enjoyed meeting others and learning about their families. Her greatest pleasures in life were when she was doing things for others, whether it was making muffins for sick friends or making and giving away her world-famous peanut brittle. She will be greatly missed by all those who knew this very special woman. In addition to her parents and her husband, John Wilson Alexander, she was preceded in death by her sisters, Lilla Winstead of Rocky Mount, Mary Parks Weathers of Winston-Salem, NC and Louise B. Moffitt of High Point; her brother, Dr. Ralph M. Bell of Charlotte. Those left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Anne Kemp Neely and husband Bill of Asheboro; sons, John Wilson Alexander, Jr. and wife Mary of Asheboro, Ralph Bell Alexander and wife Jeanne of Charlotte; sister, Helen Rankin of Gastonia; sister-in-law, Mary Ann Bell of Waxhaw; grandchildren, John Wilson Alexander, III, Beth Alexander Whitaker and husband David, Emily Alexander, Sarah Neely Lanier and husband Jeremy, David Neely, Kate Alexander, Laura Gerlock and husband Gioele; great grandsons, Graham and Harvey Whitaker and seven nieces and nephews. A memorial service celebrating Eleanor's life will be held at First Presbyterian Church, 420 W. Walker Street, Asheboro at 11:00 am on Tuesday, July 12, 2016. Visitation will be held immediately after the service. A private interment will be held for the family in Old Asheboro Cemetery, located on West Salisbury Street, Asheboro, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials should be sent to First Presbyterian Church, 420 W. Walker Street, Asheboro, NC 27203, RCC Foundation, Alexander Family Scholarship, 629 Industrial Park Avenue, Asheboro, NC 27205 or Hospice of Randolph, P.O. Box 9, Asheboro, NC 27204-0009. The family wishes to express their sincere appreciation to all her devoted caregivers at Clapp's Mountain Top Apartments, Clapp's Nursing Home and the Randolph Hospice House for their care of their mother during her time there. Pugh Funeral Home in Asheboro is serving the family. Remembrances and online condolences may be made at www.pughfuneralhome.com.