Marilyns Footprints Namon and Ethel Kennedy had 8 beautiful children: Leo (deceased), Ethel (deceased), Namon Jr. (deceased), Yvonne (deceased), Lottie (deceased), Caroline, Elizabeth, and Marvin Marie. She was born on February 5th, 1943 in Mobile, Alabama. She would later in life change her name to "Marilyn" and pass that name on to one of her beloved nephews. In 1968, at her sisters house in Detroit, she met a man named Richard Leo Bell who became star-struck by Marilyns beauty and had to have her. The first day they met he said "Im gon marry you!" and she said "you crazy man!" and four months later he did just that. When they met, he had one child, Stephanie Gale, and she had three, Prinscilla Marie (deceased), Lisa Lavern (deceased), and Barbara Rochelle, whom he adopted and loved as his own. Together, their love would create a baby girl named Rennel Kay. They built an amazing life together and were married for 28 years. Marilyn was a sight to behold, and she had impeccable style. She believed in looking good whenever she walked out the door and made self-care a ritual up to the day she died. She was a lady in every sense of the word, from the way she carried herself, to the way she sashayed herself across a room. She loved being a woman and it showed. She was a social butterfly and she loved hosting dinner parties in her home and tea galas at her beloved church in New York. It allowed her to break out the fine linen and china and make everything beautiful. Many of her guests never wanted to go home because she made sure they always had a good time. Momma attended Zion Temple Baptist Church in Queens, NY. She was a faithful and loyal member who was very active in the church. She was a missionary and loved taking care of the sick. She would go to their homes and clean their houses and cook for them. She always said "Whatever your hands can find to do, do it", and she did and she did it to the glory of the Lord. She also helped to raise money for the church each year by selling her delightful cakes and pies. It was always something people looked forward to because they were always so good. When she moved to Illinois, she became a faithful member of All Nations Church of God where she enjoyed ministry with her sisters and her brother-in-love, Bishop G. H. Brewton. She served All Nations under the leadership of Pastor Lydia Graham until she passed. Now Marilyn, as sweet as she was, was also a very spirited and determined woman. She would put you in your place in a heartbeat if she had to and then turn around and nurse you back to health if you got sick. She was full of wisdom and very smart, and she ran her household like an old pro and her family never went lacking. She would always tell us, "If you have a dollar, save a dime". She loved crafting, as she was known to sew and make flower arrangements. She also loved reading, gardening, singing, traveling, going to the movies, having family game nights, doing puzzles, and watching her soaps. In her last days, she took to watching wrestling and cage fighting and Walker, Texas Ranger. She liked the action! Marilyn didnt have a lot of jobs because her husband always told her she didnt have to work if she didnt want to. But when she did, she found herself working at P.S.121 in Queens, NY as a lunch lady, and then as a home health aide caring for the elderly. In Illinois, she operated a licensed daycare in her home and later became a licensed foster care worker. Many of the children she took care of would continue to come to see her well after they had left, some with children of their own. She was always trying to find ways to help herself and others. The Foster Care system allowed her that opportunity. The most important things in the world to Marilyn were her family and her sisters. She loved her brothers too, but the sisters had an unbreakable bond. When "the sisters" got together it was as if no one else existed! Through their love for each other, they taught us that being their brothers keeper was a real thing! Richard was her forever love as she never married again. No one else could ever seem to measure up as she would often talk about how he provided for and took care of her and her girls. Her children, though they caused her heart to ache in many ways, also were her life as they brought her a lot of joy and gave her a sense of purpose on the earth. They were her every heartbeat and she loved her babies with every fiber of her being down to her very last breath. Marilyns biggest love was the Lord. She was raised in the church but didnt truly come to know him until she was in her late 60s. She tried to give her girls and grandsons a firm foundation and belief in the Lord by taking them to church every Sunday and keeping them involved in church events. She would pray with them and read the Bible to them and tell them of the goodness of God and the importance of building a relationship with him. Marilyns relationship with the Lord grew strong in the last 10 years of her life and she left this earth giving him glory and singing his praises. She leaves to cherish her memory Barbara Rochelle Bell (Bronx, NY); Rennel Walls (Frederick Walls) of Crete, IL; and Stephanie Bell (Las Vegas, NV); 18 grandchildren and 33 great-grandchildren; bonus daughters Rosie Whittington and Kimala Robinson, and a host of nieces, nephews, friends, and others. Rest in Heaven Momma and hold my spot for me! Love always, Your last little pea in the pot! Please click here to view the video tribute Services Visitation Monday July 1, 2024 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM Lain-Sullivan Funeral Directors 50 Westwood Dr. Park Forest, IL 60466-1419 Funeral Service Monday July 1, 2024 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM Lain-Sullivan Funeral Directors 50 Westwood Dr. Park Forest, IL 60466-1419 Interment Monday July 1, 2024 2:30 PM Washington Memory Gardens 701 Ridge Rd Homewood, IL