Virginia Ann White a passionate promoter of Taylor County history and long time teacher in Abilene Public Schools died Tuesday May 18th in a local hospital at the age of 83. Visitation will be from 2 - 4 p.m. Sunday at North's Memorial Chapel 242 Orange Street. Funeral Services will be 11 a.m. Monday at the St. Paul United Methodist Church Chapel with Reverend Pamela Rowley and Reverend Andrew Penns officiating. Burial will be at Elmwood Memorial Park under the direction of North's Funeral Home. Pallbearers will be nephews Terry Bell of Houston and Stewart Bell of Lawrence Kansas; grandsons David Yearwood and Chris White; and Steve Butman. Honorary pallbearers will be members of the Taylor County Historical Commission. Ms. White was born September 6 1926 in Rogers Bell County Texas to the Reverend J.A. Bell and Anna Mae Stirling Bell who was a native of New Jersey. She was one girl among four brothers in the Bell family a group that moved many times during her early years due to her father's ministry in the Methodist Church in Louisiana Texas Colorado and New Mexico. She graduated from the Vinton Louisiana high school in 1946 and received her bachelor's degree in education from McMurry University in 1959. During World War II she worked in a ship yard around Orange Texas. She taught drama and speech at Madison Middle School for more than 26 years and was one of the first recipients of the Maxine Perini Award sponsored by Taylor County Historical Commission for excellence in promoting historical endeavors in the county. Her students in speech and drama won many awards under her tutelage at Madison and one of her outstanding historical projects in Abilene schools was with the ALPS program. Working with the ALPS director Kathy Aldridge the fifth grade students researched and wrote five historical marker applications and helped erect five Texas historical markers in Taylor County. She brought the memories of Thornton's Department Story alive when she and the Taylor County Historical Commission placed a historical marker on South 4th and Oak Street site of the present Law Enforcement Center. Thornton's attracted much attention at Christmas time with their unusual and wonderful window decorations. Since childhood she was interested in poetry literature and speaking and often entertained children's groups by reading and performing for them. She grew up with a close relationship to the church and later taught Sunday school classes and sang in church choirs including First Methodist Church of Abilene. She was a longtime member of St. Paul United Methodist Church and was active in its Sunday school classes. Ann was extremely close to the Grace Museum and worked there as a docent for years after it was restored. She received many awards and honors for her work there. She was also a longtime member of the Taylor County Historical Commission and helped establish the county historical archives which are housed in the old Taylor County courthouse building on Oak Street. She was very close to her son David's academic and athletic activities during his youth. David died in 2005 in Monroe Louisiana. She was also preceded in death by her parents; four brothers: John A. Bell Gordon Bell Jimmy Bell and Stirling Bell. She lost another brother in infancy while the family lived in Colorado. She is survived by her brother Doug Bell and wife Wanda of Canyon Lake Texas; her sister-in-law Genevieve Bell of Houston; sister-in-law Ester Bell of Santa Fe New Mexico; daughter-in-law Regina White of Monroe; two grandsons Chris White and wife Jamie of Monroe and David Yearwood and his wife Parks of Portland Maine; two great-granddaughters; and several nieces and nephews. Online condolences can be made at www.northsfuneralhome.com