Alice Bell (Spencer) Marrs, age 87, of Rose Hill, Illinois, passed on from this earthly life
on June 30th, 2023. Alice was born in Jasper County on April 17th, 1936, the daughter of Denzel
and Dorothy (Parcel) Spencer. She grew up in Clark and Jasper Counties and graduated from
Casey High School.
Funeral Services will be at 11:00 am on Friday July 7, 2023, at the Hidalgo Independent
Christian Church, in Hidalgo, IL. Visitation will be from 9:00 to 11:00 am prior to the service.
Burial will be in the Aten Cemetery. The Barkley Funeral Chapel in Greenup is assisting the
family.
Alice married the love of her life, Teddy Marrs, shortly after graduation on August 28th,
1954. They made their first home west of Hidalgo but moved to their permanent homestead
northeast of Rose Hill not too long after, where they would build a life and family together for
the remainder of their life on this Earth. Ted and Alice served together as members of the
Hidalgo Independent Christian church for nearly all of their married life.
Alice was short in stature, but large in the way she loved and cared for others. In
addition to her role as a farmwife, Alice was a school secretary at Rose Hill and Muddy schools,
where she loved on many students and staff for over 25 years. Ted enjoyed keeping up with
Alice’s social schedule during her retirement as she was a faithful member of the Rose Hill
Household Science Club, Country Roses, Jasper County Home Extension, and the Rose Hill School
“Porkettes”. During “retirement” Alice volunteered countless hours delivering Meals on Wheels
all over Jasper County. Alice was also a longtime hospice volunteer.
Alice was well known amongst her family and friends for her meals and desserts, and
one of the highlights of her life was hosting countless meals for those she loved. She was a hard
worker and found joy in whatever task she was undertaking. Known for her gardening, if you
drove by during the summer, chances are you would see Alice out in the garden tending to her
beautiful flowers. She was also well known for her quilting skills, making more than 100 quilts in
her “spare” time. She loved community history and enjoyed looking through the countless scrap
books she had assembled over the years. Alice found joy in the simple things in life and found
contentment in loving her family, friends, and neighbors.
Alice is survived by her two daughters, Susan (Brad) Shull and Karen (Kim) Buettemeyer,
son-in-law Robert (Marla) Young and three grandsons, Brady (Alissa) Shull, Brandon (Lindsay)
Shull, and Brock Shull. Grandma Alice was also survived by her great-grandchildren Alivia, Faith,
Amy, Hannah, Alice, Savannah, and Isaac. Her sister, Ruth Bell of Cahokia, also survives. All of
the great-grandchildren had their turn getting rocked to the tune of “Go Tell Aunt Rhody”, which
was one of Alice’s favorite things to do in life. She was preceded in death by her husband
Teddy, her parents Denzel and Dorothy Spencer, her brothers Billy and Denzel Spencer, and her
beloved daughter Amy (Robert) Young.
Memorials can be made to the Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospice: 1004 Health Center Drive,
Suite 202 Mattoon, IL 61938. Online condolences can be expressed at
www.barkleyfuneralchapels.com
