CAMDEN — Virginia Bell Johns died peacefully on June 9, 2025, at the age of 81. She was surrounded by loving family members and a devoted caregiver whom she loved. Virginia passed away after a valiant eight-year fight against Alzheimer's disease. Against all odds and predictions, she remained, as she wished, in her Camden home until June 6 with the loving care of family and exceptional caregivers. Her family will honor and celebrate Virginia with a private family service.

Virginia was born on February 29, 1944 during World War II in Norwich, England, the first of six children of Joan and Vernon Bell. Joan Bell of England, a volunteer ambulance driver, met and married Vernon Bell, a captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps serving in England. The family welcomed son David in 1945, and at the end of the war, mother and two children journeyed across the ocean to join Captain Bell in Memphis.

Raised in Memphis, Virginia graduated from White Station High School in 1963 and attended the University of Arkansas. When she married in 1964, she embarked on her greatest ambition to be a wonderful homemaker. She and her former husband Jerry Johns raised four boys whom the family recognizes as remarkable men: William and his wife Michelle, Jason and his wife Kristin, Phillip and his wife Stephanie and Justin and his wife Carolyn.

Virginia excelled in many things. She was an avid gardener and a talented florist. She pursued painting and has beautiful watercolors exhibited in her home. After moving from Memphis to Nashville she began an antique business. In this role, she traveled annually to England, searching out antiques, becoming educated in the value of her finds, handling the logistics back to Nashville, all the while making lifelong friends in the Cotswolds. When prices escalated in England, she started searching out antiques in the northeast which, as she said, led to her greatest find – Camden, Maine. She purchased a home in Camden in 1999 which became her permanent residence in 2003. One of her great loves was volunteering at Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport, Maine, where she served for 16 years and gave 7,092 hours of service. She took great pride in informing her friends and acquaintances that they were all New Englanders, while she was actually born in England.

Virginia was a member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Camden. Even as her illness progressed, she eagerly awaited the Sunday service each week, and felt drawn to the church daily. She loved people and was so welcomed by everyone there. She was seen around Camden regularly with her caregivers, among them Patti, Pam and Sharon, frequenting the shops and restaurants, loving to watch children and speaking to friends around town. The family is eternally grateful to her caregivers and the community for being so kind and supportive.

Virginia was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Christopher Bell. She is survived by her four sons and their wives, grandchildren Camden (Cornelia) Johns, Kelsea (Bryce) Rader and Will Johns; Olivia and George Johns; Phillip and Preston Johns; Henry and Thomas Johns, as well as great-grandchildren Henry, David Austin, and Reynolds Rader; and Camden Johns, II; her siblings David, Vickie (Skip), Sara, and Cindy; nieces and nephews Anna, Christopher, Sara Kathryn, Ford, Christiana, and Brittain; and great nieces and nephews.

The family deeply appreciates the thoughtful condolences of friends and acquaintances.

A memorial service in Camden to honor Virginia and thank the community will be announced when final arrangements are made.

If a memorial is desired, the family invites you to contribute to Page Robbins Adult Day Center, 1961 South Houston Levee Road, Collierville, TN 38107, pagerobbins.org.