Dorothy Bell

Dorothy L. Herren Bell of Crystal Lake, IL, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014 at Crossroads Care Center in Woodstock, IL. She was 88 years old.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014 at the Prugh-Dunfree Funeral Home in Grant City. Burial will be in the Grand City Cemtery.
Visitation is from noon until service time at the funeral home.
Dorothy was born on Dec. 6, 1925 on a farm in Redding, IA. She was the daughter of Manson and Mamie (Mary Rebecca Abarr) Herren.
She graduated from Redding Consolidated High School and loved music. She played piano and clarinet in high school. Her accomplishments in piano included earning a 1 rating at the state music contest and a music scholarship to the University of Iowa where she attended for one year.
On Oct. 16, 1946, she was married to John (Jack) Bell of Grant City. They lived on a farm in Grant City until 1968. She helped on the farm, helped with the Cub Scout den that her son Joe was in, played organ at the First Christian Church and gave piano lessons. She was also a secretary at the Grant City schools for a few years before moving to Trenton in 1968. After moving to Trenton, she was secretary to the principal at the Adams Junior High School for 25 years until she retired in 1994. In addition, she continued to give many piano lessons and loved teaching piano to many wonderful children for about 30 years.
Dorothy was also very active at the First Christian Church in both Grant City and Trenton, where she played the organ and/or piano for both churches. Later in life she became a member of the First Christian Church in Blue Springs, where she lived close to her son, Joe for approximately 10 years. In 2010 she moved to live with her daughter, Janet in Crystal Lake before becoming ill with Alzheimer’s. She attended the First United Methodist Church in Crystal Lake while living with Janet.
Dorothy was also a 50-year member of the Order of Eastern Star. She was an active member in the Eastern Star in Grant City for many years and later was a member in the Parson Chapter 189 in Trenton.
Dorothy loved being with family. Whenever possible, she always enjoyed going to her children and grandchildren’s school activities, music programs and sporting events. She was so very proud of all of them and their accomplishments. She also enjoyed her dog Pepper, her cat Tiger, taking walks, shopping and watching major league baseball and NFL games on TV.
She is survived by her son, Joe E. Bell and his wife, Sally of Blue Springs; a daughter, Janet R. Sanders and her husband, Keith of Crystal Lake; three grandchildren, Stacy Bell Anderson, Beth Bell and Ryne Sanders; and three great-grandchildren, Kate Anderson, Logan Anderson and Cale Anderson.
Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Jack Bell; parents, Manson and Mamie Herren; and siblings, Eva (Herren) Driebelbies, John D. Herren, Pearl (Herren) Sanborn and Blaine Herren.
Memorials are suggested to the Alzheimer’s Association, First Christian Church in Blue Springs, the First Christian Church of Trenton, the First Christian Church of Grant City of the Journey Care Hospice of Northeastern Illinois.