Mary E. Bell

Mary Eileen Bell of Sioux City died Tuesday, April 8, 2008, in Sioux City following a lengthy illness.

Services will be 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, with the Rev. Daniel Guenther officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 14, 2008 with the family present 6 to 8 p.m. and a time of sharing at 6:30 p.m., at Meyer Brothers Morningside Chapel, 6200 Morningside Ave. Visitation will resume one hour prior to the service Tuesday at the church.

Mary Eileen Bell was born Aug. 23, 1925, in Humboldt, Iowa, the daughter of Raymond Lieurance and Mary K. Lampe. She graduated from St. John's High School in Bancroft, Iowa, in 1942. She went on to receive her bachelor of arts degree from Briar Cliff University.

She married Billy Bell on April 23, 1951, in Sioux City. He preceded her in death on Feb. 10, 2007, in Sioux City. Besides being a full-time mother and grandmother, she worked for 32 years as a bookkeeper for Braunger's in Sioux City. After leaving Braunger's, she worked for the Woodbury County Auditors Office.

She was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. She was a 20 year member of NAMI and a 20-year member of the Siouxland Food Bank. She also was involved in the Democratic Party for more than 40 years, being elected to the Democratic Convention in New York in 1976 and was invited to the Presidential Inauguration, where she met the Pope.

She loved to cook and eat with family and friends. She had a special place in her heart for her grandchildren. Besides spending a lot of her time volunteering, she enjoyed fishing and gambling.

Survivors include her son, Tim Bell of Sioux City; two daughters, Deb (Frank) Reifenrath of Guernsey, Wyo., and Theresa (John) Hermes of Gering, Neb.; seven grandchildren, Gisette (Pete), Erin (Eric), Megan (John), Sarah (Justin), Joy, Andrew and Kaitlin (Jeremy); eight great-grandchildren; a brother, Delbert (Pam) Lieurance of Swea City, Iowa; and a sister, Shirley Burns of Jackson, Neb.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; a son, Joe; a sister, Dorothy; and a brother, Henry Clement.

Memorials in her name may be directed to the family or Briar Cliff University.