A funeral service for Hazel Ruth Bell, 85, of Cleburne, will be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, May 1, 2026, at First United Methodist Church, located at 1300 Westhill Dr., Cleburne, TX 76033 with Reverend Melissa McDuffee officiating. Interment will follow in the Rosehill Cemetery, Cleburne. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be Hazel’s great-nieces and great-nephews: Miranda Bushey, Cynthia Bullmer, James F. MacDonald, Heidi Evans, Troy MacDonald, Michael MacDonald, James A. MacDonald, Leaha Church, Autumn MacDonald, Lucas Simon, Haley Giles, Brittany Giles, Lizzie Burnett, Kate Burnett, Gavin Burnett, Hallie Conners, Lilly Conners, Bethany Conners, and Bailey Conners. There will be a time of visitation for family and friends from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the funeral home on Thursday, April 30, 2026. The family request that memorial donations be made to the Music Ministry of First United Methodist Church, PO Box 114, Cleburne, TX 76033, or the charity of your choice in lieu of floral tributes for the service.

Hazel, an accomplished organist, dedicated teacher, and passionate advocate for music education, passed away peacefully on April 24, 2026 in Glen Rose, Texas. Born July 21, 1940, in Johnson County, Texas, she lived a life marked by unwavering faith, remarkable independence, and tireless devotion to her church and community.

In Hazel’s own words:

“My sister, Hattie Lou, started taking piano lessons when I was 4 years old. I caused such a ruckus wanting to also take lessons, THEY ALL agreed to give in and let me try – just try. My body was too short for me to reach the pedals (not that you use the pedals in 4-year-old songs).

My Daddy designed and made a gizmo with wooden dowels for each pedal that my feet could reach.

That inspired my life’s passion, and started me on my life’s path. My family would close off the living room so I could “practice” the piano. I sang (at the top of my voice), I played and the very best time in the world, to practice, was during dishwashing time! I was always able to use that excuse to escape kitchen chores. (And later throughout life, my family does not want me to do dishes, because they think that I don’t do a good job. When the family was hoeing cotton, gathering corn, or bringing the harvest in from the huge garden, I thought that the heat of the day would make me sick, so I stayed in the house to practice.

Mrs. E.I. Wood started organ lessons for me when I could reach those pedals. When I was 15, I became church pianist for Field Street Baptist Church. Then a couple of years after that, I became church organist. Also, during college, I worked as a part-time secretary at Field Street.

I entered college at TCU as a music major and received a Bachelor of Music Education. Upon graduation, I moved to Duncan, OK to be the music associate and church secretary at First Baptist Church.

Wanting a little more, I returned to TCU for a Master of Guidance and Counseling. With that degree I joined First Baptist in Norman, OK as a Music Associate (organist) and Assistant Youth Director. We took our youth choirs and university choir on a mission trip each year. I drove a church van through most of the states. We went to Hawaii twice and England twice. We also took these choirs to Texas and OK prison units many times over several years.

Pastor E.F. Hallack of FBC, Norman, re-formed my life, my understanding of prayer, promises, and depending totally on God. But still growing was the conviction that I needed to be doing something more. So, I started taking classes at OU, which led me to a PhD in Adult and Community Education.

I moved back to Cleburne in the Fall of 1999, when it seemed the time to come home to aging family. I connected with Cleburne ISD as a sub, for any grade, which connected me to the CHS band program directed by Alan Reed. I then became a full-time elementary music teacher, and temporary church organist for FBC Grandview. When FUMC Cleburne needed an organist, Mildred Townsend pushed that position for me.”

Hazel retired from CISD in May, 2025, and from FUMC in February, 2026.

Hazel had a distinctive personality that left lasting impressions. Those who knew her recall with fond amusement how she never made a left turn while driving – a small but telling detail about her dedication to independence and unique approach to life. She was particularly proud of her long-term caregiving role for her niece, Ashley King.

Hazel was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Harvey, Sr. and Lillian Bell; brother, Harvey, Jr.; sister, Hattie Lou MacDonald and husband James A. MacDonald; and her brother-in-law, Dale King. Survivors include her sisters, Virginia Ann Smith; Marilyn Faye King and husband Gerald; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins; a large church family; and many former students whose lives have been touched by Hazel’s teachings.

Hazel will be remembered with great respect and deep affection by all who were privileged to know her.