Former Magistrate Judge Killed In Wreck Near Glenwood
A head on collision near Glenwood Saturday night claimed the life of former Montgomery County Magistrate Judge Mona Richardson Bell.
Mrs. Bell, 68, of Mount Vernon, was killed when her vehicle was struck by a car driven by Randonovan Anthony Lewis, 23, of Alamo. The accident occurred on Georgia Highway 19 near Cat Squirrel Road in Wheeler County. Mrs. Bell’s grandson, Bragg Alford, 11, who was seated in the rear of her vehicle, was seriously injured and taken by ambulance to Meadows Regional Hospital. Lewis was taken by helicopter to Macon where he was still being treated for injuries at 11:30 a.m. Monday morning, according to a Wheeler County official.
A report by the Georgia State Patrol, which continued from page
investigated, stated that the northbound Lewis vehicle crossed the centerline and veered into the southbound lane of Mrs. Bell’s vehicle. The report cited Lewis for operating his vehicle on the wrong side of the road. Drug and alcohol tests were administered and the results are pending. Mrs. Bell and her grandson were wearing safety belts. Lewis was not wearing a safety belt. Both vehicles sustained extensive damage in the crash.
Mrs. Bell was elected as Montgomery County Magistrate Judge in a 2002 election. She took office on January 1, 2003, and served until her retirement on December 31, 2018.
Current Montgomery County Chief Magistrate Ashley Thornton worked with Mrs. Bell as magistrate for seven years before Mrs. Bell retired and Mrs. Thornton was elected to her current post. She paid tribute to Mrs. Bell in a Facebook post which she shared with The Advance: “To know Mona was to love Mona. She always wore a smile and was willing to help each time she was asked. Mona taught me a lot over the years, from always wear your mascara if nothing else, never put your purse on the floor because money can’t flow through it, that things happen and forgiveness is always needed, to always hold your head up and to enjoy everything. She also set a great example of what family is and what it actually means. I can still feel her excitement the day she came to me and said she was ready to retire, that she had MORE things to do and places to be.
“I think back over these short years of retirement she’s had and I am proud to say one of the best things she taught me was to not wait until retirement to live. The ‘more’ part always stuck with me, because see, Mona did just that, she lived! She enjoyed every day to the fullest. She went, she participated, she supported, she loved her friends and family and she loved them big!
“I am thankful for her service to our county and for the impact she made on so many. I will miss her popping in and out of the courthouse, or her riding by late and seeing me up there, sending a text telling me to hang in there!
“I know she is smiling now in the presence of Jesus, though we may not understand right now. I’ve always liked the saying, ‘on your headstone is the day you were born and the day you died, but what matters most is how you spent the dash in between those.’ Mona spent her dash well…”
Montgomery County Probate Judge Rubie Nell Sanders had known Mrs. Bell since they were young girls growing up in Montgomery County. Later, she worked alongside her in the county’s judicial system. “She was a vivacious, outgoing person who loved her four children and her grandchildren. She was always involved in her grandchildren’s activities,” Judge Sanders said. “She did an excellent job as magistrate and always worked well with everybody.”
