Kathleen Mitchell Bell
March 6, 1906 ~ June 30, 2007
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Asheville - Naomi Kathleen Mitchell Bell died peacefully at her home on Saturday, June 30, 2007.
She was born in Granger County, Tennessee on March 6, 1906, and was the second born of 11 children. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Robert Bell, Sr. in 1974. They were married on Valentine?s Day, 1931, and in 1934 moved to Asheville to found Bell Distributing Company. In 1982, Bell Distributing merged with SYSCO Foodservice Corporation.
A devoted Christian, she and her husband were founding members of the Asheville Bible Church in 1954, and she remained an active member there after his death. In later years she was a member of Arden Presbyterian Church. Throughout her life she kept in close contact with and supported numerous missionaries around the world, many of whom stayed with her on their visits to Asheville.
During her active years in the community, Kathleen was a member of the Asheville Garden Club, the Vetust Antique Study Club, Christian Women?s Club, and was a longtime supporter of Young Life. She particularly loved gardening and was an avid rose gardener until her death.
She is survived by her son, C. Robert Bell, Jr. and his wife Lynell, as well as her grandsons, C. Robert Bell, III and wife Dana of Asheville and David W. Bell and wife Rebecca of Tampa, Florida. In addition, her four great grandsons, Charlie, Thomas, William and Andrew brought her immense joy in her most recent years.
She loved her family and cherished her numerous friends of all ages. Her family wishes to especially thank Memory Care and Hospice, her doctors and their staffs, who added so much to her quality of life in her final months. We are especially thankful for her wonderful caregivers who made it possible for her to have a peaceful and comfortable life in her home.
A memorial service will be held at Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian, 72 Long Shoals Road, Arden, on Thursday, July 5, at 2:00 pm. The family will receive friends immediately following the service.
Memorials may be made to Memory Care, 100 Far Horizon Lane, Asheville, NC 28803. www.memorycare.org.
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Our thoughts and prayers are with you. What a wonderful life she was able to enjoy.
We extend our deepest sympathy to you and will always remember Kathleen fondly.
We are sorry to learn of Kathleen’s death and extend our deepest sympathy to you.
Dear Lynell and Robert,
We send our sympathy to you in the homegoing of your mother.
Robbie remembers her for her faithfulness at Christian Womens Club.
I remember visiting in her new home just off Hendersonville Road.
Going back further I remember visiting with your Dad in his office just across from Skyland. He’d say ‘come on in and set a spell’ and prop his feet up on his desk. Good memories.
May you experience His peace at this time.
Don/Robbie Bailey
May you all rejoice in the memories of your mother and grandmother, and find peace in the future…….
Dear Robert and Lynell:
Alfred and I send heartfelt condolences to you on the passing of Robert’s beloved mother, Katherine Mitchell Bell. Mrs. Bell’s love of family and community is a legacy passed on to you and all who knew her. We extend our deepest sympathies to you and the entire family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Alfred and Sybil Jordan Hampton
Aunt Kathleen was to me as much as a family member as she has been to so many people. As a child, she was one of those wonderful women of the Asheville Bible Church who never did anything without enthusiasm or excellence. As a teen, she was to me one of the solid background of believers who worked tirelessly for the furtherance of the gospel in Asheville (and abroad) and supported me and a host of others with much needed prayer. As a young women, she was to me the blessing of Godly womanhood in example and experiance. I have now, as an middle aged adult, witnessed the living and passing of a lady through whom God’s love was passed liberally and diliberately to family, friends and strangers to their benefit and God’s glory. Praise His Holy Name.
Beth Lohse
Robert and Family: We are so sorry to hear of the loss of your Mother. She was a very special lady, as are all of the Bell Family. You hold a very dear place in our hearts and we will always remember the fond memories Dad had working for you at Bell Distributing and then Bell/Sysco for all those years. He always spoke of your family with so much respect.
I also remember the story of me and your son being born just a day or so apart (September 2) and that Mom and Lynell were in the hospital together.
We are so sorry for your loss, you are in our prayers.
The Ronald Rhymer Family
Judy, Dawn and Rosalind Rhymer
To the entire Bell Family,
I was so saddened to learn of the recent death of Mrs. Bell as she has meant so much to my family over many years- first to my mother and father, Blanche and Ray Coppedge, and to their children, Ray, Laura and myself, and then to their grandchildren, Rame, Bays, Mary Stewart and Elizabeth. After my father’s death, Mrs. Bell was a godsend to my mother as they checked on each other often but also became such good friends and companions. Up until my mother’s death over 2 years ago, I always was given the latest ‘news’ on Mrs. Bell and what she had been up to and where she had been traveling to since I saw her on my last visit. On trips to Asheville to visit my mother, my daughters, Mary Stewart and Elizabeth, would always pay a visit next door to Mrs. Bell. She, indeed, was a wonderful person and will be truly missed. My entire family was fortunate to have known her and are better for having had this opportunity to call Mrs. Bell a friend.
My sincere prayers to all of you.
Dear Robert and Lynell,
Please accept our sincere condolences on behalf of your mother’s passing. I know you are encouraged knowing that she is now present with our Lord. We love you both and will be praying for you as you go through this difficult transition.