Helen Laverne Schell

Schell, Helen Laverne Laverne was born September 19, 1928 to Benjamin Franklin Riggan and Esther Izora Riggan in Roxton, Texas and was accepted into the waiting arms of Christ our Savior on August 19, 2016 in Austin, Texas surrounded by family. Laverne was the fourth of six children in the Riggan family and learned at an early age the meaning of worship, family and hard work. As a young child during the Depression, her family worked as tenant farmers growing and hand-picking cotton in northeast Texas. Wanting a better future for herself, Laverne attended Paris Junior College in the mid 1940’s before working at Boles Children’s Home in Quinlan, Texas. She then moved to Oak Cliff in 1949 where she met her future husband, William “Bill” Boyd Schell, who had returned from WWII and was a rookie fireman on the Dallas Fire Department. Laverne and Bill married in 1950 and had four children Beverly, Paula, Homer, and Tony. In the early 1970’s, Laverne began working for the Dallas County Auditor’s Office where she remained employed until her retirement in 1990. Laverne was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ with most of that time at the DeSoto Church of Christ. She was an avid gardener, seamstress, quilter, and baker and lovingly passed these skills and traditions to three generations of family. Laverne is preceded in death by her husband, Bill, and children Paula and Homer. She leaves behind a wonderful legacy that is a testament of grit and love. She is survived by her daughter Beverly Gibbs and husband, Jay, of Weatherford, Texas and son Tony Schell and wife, Kristin, of Austin, Texas. Laverne doted on and was proud of her nine grandchildren (Rachel, Missy, Dustin, Amy, Kelly, Will, Anna, Ellie and Sarah) and nine great grandchildren (Dylan, Nicholas, Andrew, Jayden, Charlotte, Ty, Easton, Brady and Everett). Services to be held at West-Hurtt Funeral home in DeSoto, Texas. The family will receive visitors from 5:00-7:00 PM on Tuesday, August 23 at West-Hurtt Funeral Home in DeSoto. A celebration of Laverne's life will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, August 24 at West-Hurtt followed by graveside services at Holy Redeemer Cemetery in DeSoto. In lieu of flowers a donation in Laverne’s name may be made to Boles Children’s Home (aka Arms of Hope) via the following link or mailing address: https://community.armsofhope.org/general-donation-form or Boles Campus, 7065 Quinlan, TX 75474, 903-224-4900