Community mourns the loss of Miller freshman who died Friday after being pulled from Gulf of Mexico
Bell competed in track the day before accident
The faculty and students at T.R. Miller High School, along with other friends and relatives, gathered Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the life of Lavarius Bell, Jr., who died Friday, less than a week after being pulled from the Gulf of Mexico at Fort Pickens.
Bell, 16, was a freshman at T.R. Miller. He and four friends were at the Fort Pickens beach Sunday, April 24, when he apparently got into trouble with the currents in the gulf.
Bell and another student were taken to Pensacola hospitals by helicopter and two others were transported by ambulance. The other three student were released from the hospital. Bell died Friday.
Bell's funeral was held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the T.R. Miller High School auditorium with the Rev. Timothy Long officiating. Burial was held at Baptist Hill Cemetery with Craver's Funeral Home of Brewton officiating.
Coaches Brent Hubbert, Andy Lambert, Vincent Harris, Danny Carpenter, Dustin Kennedy and Terrance Walker served as pallbearers.
Bell was born in Brewton on Feb. 28, 2006 to Nakeya Campbell-McCorvey and Lavarius Bell.
Lavarius joined Second Saint Siloam Missionary Baptist Church at a very young age and was a member of the youth choir. He was baptized by the late Rev. Willie J. Blue.
Lavarius played football, basketball and track and had a special passion for arts and crafts.
He is survived by his parents Nakeya-Campbell McCorvey and Colby McCorvey; his father, Lavarius Bell; four sisters, Malaysia Campbell, Alyona Campbell, Marnecia Reid and Myesha Bell; two brothers, Kavarius Bell and Carter McCorvey; grandparents Barbara Campbell-Hawthorne and Emmitt Hawthorne and Linda Bell and Kenny Bell.
