Last Updated on December 18, 2011 by
Imnaha, Oregon
Jean Gardner Bell, 84, of Carlsbad, Calif., died May 13, 2004, at home. She was born Feb. 29, 1920, in Los Angeles, Calif.
After graduating from John Marshall High School, she attended Glendale Junior College and University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) before marrying Franklin Bell II, a union that lasted 50 years until his death in 1992. They founded Bell Pipe and Supply Company in Anaheim, Calif., and raised their family in Tustin, Calif.
In 1975 the couple bought a ranch on the upper Imnaha River where they spent springs and summers and Mrs. Bell worked tirelessly in her garden. After Frank’s death, she traveled extensively throughout the U. S. and abroad with her close companion James “Rip” Harper.
Survivors include her companion James Harper; children Madelyn, Kristin and Franklin III; sisters Betty Riley and Suzanne Tully; five grandchildren; brother-in-law Ains Bell; cousin Joanne Youngberg; and friends and other family members.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Wallowa County Chieftain, Enterprise, Oregon, Thursday, May 20, 2004