Kim Elyria Bell wore her trademark head kerchief wherever she went -- to visit family and friends, church, shopping or for a short walk in The Alley, the little neighborhood near the beach in Bay St. Louis where she lived with her only son.
"She had every color of head scarf that there is, and they always matched her outfits," said niece Sabine Harper of Gulfport. "She wrapped it like the lady on the Aunt Jemima bottle, with her braided hair under it."
Before heart surgery two years ago, the 51-year-old was a housekeeper at St. Augustine Seminary, founded in 1923 as the first U.S. Catholic seminary to graduate black priests. Bell herself attended St. Rose de Lima, a Catholic church known for its lively choir and diverse congregation.
"My two daughters called her 'Maw Maw.' She's the reason I finished my psychology degree, because she would baby-sit for the kids. She was always trying to do more for everybody else."
Steforno Domique Bell loved his rap music. Lil' Boosie and Cash Money were tops in his collection and prominently pictured on his bedroom walls in Bay St. Louis.
The 21-year-old's originals centered on The Alley and his family. The Bells and extended family were close-knit, and with them he was able to hide his shyness. At Bay High, "Stefanezzy" was named MVP in basketball - just like his mom had been in another era - but he was still the kind of person who had to get to know you.
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