Betty Lou Bell

Betty L. Bell, age 90, the widow of Gene C. Bell, rural Carpenter, formerly of Doland, died at her daughters home, late on Thursday night, January 2, 2020 after a lingering illness.

Private Family Services will be held later September of 2020.  Burial will be in the Doland Cemetery at Doland.

She was born on November 30, 1929 at Denver, Colorado, the daughter of Robert L. and Myrtle M. (Benefiel) Terry.  The marriage ended when Betty was only 2 months old and Myrtle then married Fred Petersen, whom Betty knew as her father.

Betty was a graduate of Doland High School in 1947 and then a 1948 graduate of Northern State Teachers College in Aberdeen.  In 1950 Betty was crowned the Doland Snow Queen by Merlin Hahn, commander of the local Legion post, and Lorraine Erdahl who was the 1949 crowned Queen. The event was held at the White Warrior Theatre (later Twin Kiss) in Doland.  The family lived in the Doland area where Betty began teaching country school.  She attended and graduated from the Burrough's Business School in Kansas City, MO, being employed by Russell Stover Candy company for a bit and then worked in Aberdeen for 3 years.

She was united in marriage to Gene C. Bell on February 12, 1955 at Doland.  To this union three children, Brian, Stuart, and Marcie were born.  In 1976 the couple moved to Carpenter where she ran the café until moving back to Doland in 1980.  She worked at the Doland Post Office and also did bookkeeping for a business in Redfield.  Betty was employed by the Security State Bank at Doland for 26 years.   The couple lived at Doland their entire married life. Gene died in 2007.  Betty has continued living in her own home until illness forced her to move to her daughters' home near Carpenter.

Betty was a member of the United Methodist Church at Doland for many years and currently held her membership at the First Presbyterian Church at Raymond.  In the community she was treasurer of the Doland Heritage, Inc. since 1980.

Preceding her in death were her parents, Myrtle and Fred Petersen, biological father,  Robert Terry , a sister, Shirley Van Hecke and a brother, Don Petersen.

Survivors include her children, Brian (Mary Ann Fricks) Bell of Gretna, VA, Stuart Bll and significant other, Traci of Doland, and Marcie (Richard) Glanzer of Carpenter, 7 grandchildren, Ryan (Lauren) Glanzer of Austin, TX, Jordan Krogman of Vermillion, Alex (Ann) Glanzer of Carpenter, Justin (KaSandra) Bell of Ankeny, IA, Thomas Bell of Sioux City, IA, Cassandra Fricks of North Carolina, and Christopher Fricks of Virginia, 10 great grandchildren, Pey ton, Emerson, Hudson, and Colton Krogman, and Hadley , Adrienne, Auden, John, Edie Glanzer, and Oliver Bell.  She also leaves a sibling, Florence Sheldon and in-laws, Larry (Mary) Bell, Anna Lou (Jerome) Miles, and Jesse Petersen.

Funeral arrangements are with the Furness Funeral Home at Clark where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com