Posted by Newspaper Transcriber on Saturday, October 21, 2006 at 19:06:41 :

Helen Ann Bell

Helen Ann Bell, a member of an established farming family on the Coastside, died peacefully due to heart failure at her home in Half Moon Bay with her family at her side. She was 95.

She grew up in Half Moon Bay and in 1929 married Frank Bell and moved to the family ranch in Lobitos on Verde Road.

In the mid-1940s she moved to San Mateo, and worked for several years for The Patio Shop, a women's retail clothing establishment, in Redwood City. In the mid-1950s, she and her husband purchased property with an old cabin off Skyline Boulevard. Mrs. Bell enjoyed cooking and family get-togethers, and for many years the cabin was the site of dinners for family and friends, especially during the holidays.

In 1992, Mrs. Bell moved to Half Moon Village, where she was involved in many senior activities and enjoyed helping out during the Pumpkin Festival.

She was also an avid baseball fan, said her son, Al Bell of Woodside. "She loved to watch the (San Francisco) Giants," he said.

Mrs. Bell was preceded in death by her husband of 48 years, Frank Bell, her brothers Eddie, Joe, Tony and Bernard Martin and sisters Lena DeMartini, Mary Pike and Clara Martin.

She is survived by her son Al and daughter-in-law Jeanne Bell of Woodside, granddaughter Cheryl Evans of San Jose, grandson Mike (and wife Brenda) Bell of Scotts Valley, and great-grandchildren Ashkon Namdar, Nathaniel Evans, Naomi Evans, Nicholas Evans, Mikaela Evans and Brodie Bell.

She is also survived by sisters Bernice Lewis of Half Moon Bay and Jody Miller of Hayward, and sister-in-law Lucille Martin of Half Moon Bay.

Mrs. Bell had requested she be cremated. A memorial service will be held for her at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20 at Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Church. Interment will follow in a private family service at St. John's Cemetery in San Mateo.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Feed the Children.

Half Moon Bay Review and Pescadero Pebble, Wednesday, September 13, 2006