Jenny Bell Strickland

Jenny was born on March 23, 1938 in Canton, Georgia, to James Ruben Bell and Fan Ponder Bell. She was the oldest of three daughters. Raised in their home on Main Street in Canton, Georgia, Jenny graduated from Cherokee High School, where she participated in the Debate Team, wrote for the school newspaper and loved acting in school plays. At her father's request, Jenny attended Reinhardt College, where she met the love of her life, David Luther Strickland. They married on March 21, 1958 at Jenny's parents' home in Canton. After graduating from Reinhardt, the couple moved to Atlanta where they both began their careers.

David and Jenny welcomed three children, Diane, David and Susan, and they moved into their home on Montreal Way in Tucker, Georgia, in the summer of 1964, where they would raise their family and live until David's death in 2014.

Jenny worked in a variety of jobs throughout the years including as a substitute teacher in the DeKalb County School System, where she could be near her three children; Standard Office Systems; a Christian bookstore in Tucker and probably her favorite job was at Rich's Department Store at North DeKalb Mall as a sales associate. In addition to meeting wonderful co-workers, who became dear friends, Jenny took a personal interest in helping women select dresses and coats for special occasions. She told the story of slipping away to get a much larger size for a woman who was in the dressing room, but never mentioning the size so as not to hurt the customer's feelings. This story epitomizes the kindness and sensitivity that was so characteristic of Jenny. But Jenny's most treasured profession was as a wife to David, a devoted mother to her three children and later a beloved and doting "Nana" to her four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Jenny had the gift of mercy and encouragement. She was known for keeping a calendar of extended family birthdays and selecting and sending Hallmark cards with an uplifting note for each occasion. Jenny loved gardening in her yard as well as writing poetry. Jenny and her family were very involved in Sunday school and various activities at Briarlake Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia. Jenny studied and taught a women's Sunday school class for years, pouring over the Bible, the Sunday school materials and a concordance. Always well prepared, Jenny loved this role, in addition to praying over the needs of class members and taking a pot roast to those who were in need. Jenny enjoyed keeping in touch and encouraging her extended family, sending notes and calling siblings, nieces, nephews and cousins, to keep in touch, as she greatly valued these relationships.

Jenny saw her role as a loving wife and mother as her most treasured and important vocation. Taking on her husband, David's, love of bird dogs, the family always had hunting dogs, usually more than one, including a beautiful Irish Setter, English Setters and Pointers. Much to the delight of the children, David and Jenny "accidentally" bred puppies and enjoyed the excitement of caring for the whole litter until loving homes were found. Jenny was very involved with raising her three children and being a big part of her four grandchildren's lives, offering to babysit and swim with the kids in the hot summers. She was committed to ensuring her children and grandchildren came to faith in Jesus Christ, by her prayers, gifts of Bibles and sharing of her own personal faith.

Jenny is preceded in death by her beloved husband, David Luther Strickland, her loving parents, James Ruben Bell and Fan Ponder Bell and two brother-in-laws, Ronald Borders Bentley and John Thomas Seay.

Jenny is survived by her three children, Diane Strickland Tyler (Gregg), David Luther Strickland, Jr., and Susan Strickland Brister (Stuart); her two sisters, Linda Bell Bentley and Gail Bell Seay; two brothers-in-law, Hubert Adams Stickland and William Max Strickland (Mary Beth); four grandchildren, Charles David Tyler, Steven Gregg Tyler, Mitchell MacDonald Brister (Hannah) and Morgan Jennifer Brister; and her two great grandchildren, Charles Graham Brister and Eloise Elizabeth Brister; as well as beloved nieces and nephews and their families.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at the chapel at Briarlake Baptist Church with Ronald Bentley, beloved nephew, officiating. A private burial will take place on Sunday, June 4, 2023 at Cherokee Memorial Park. Arrangements are by H.M. Patterson and Son - Oglethorpe Hill.

Memorials may be given to Briarlake Baptist Church, Reinhardt University or A Beacon of Hope of Hope Women's Center. The family wishes to extend our sincere gratitude to the nurses and staff at East Cobb Center for Nursing and Healing in Marietta, Georgia, as well as the wonderful women (friends) who cared for Jenny at her apartment at Calvin Court, Shelia Smith, Maria Granger, Selethia Smith, Willie Sapp and Crystal Sledge.