On December 3, 2007 she suffered a stroke which left her incapacitated and hospitalized. Despite this scare, and a mild heart attack which followed days later, she never lost her faith, her love for her family, her stubbornness, nor her spunk. She would be visited daily by any number of family members. She was never left alone, not for a moment. She may not have been able to speak, but she was no less communicative. The longer she was there, the greater her spirit became. Then she was moved out of the hospital and into a nursing facility where she was to begin her rehabilitation. On her last day, she was visited by all three of her children. They saw a woman who was ready to get better, ready to come home to her family. However, it was not to be, it was her time. She is now with God, reunited with her husband of 58 years as well as her parents. She is happy now, she is in a better place.

That brings me closer to end of this rambling string of words. In the end it is impossible to sum up just what made her so good. There is too much that could be said — she has touched the lives of so many people in ways that will never be forgotten.

Mary Bell at 82 left us too soon. She still had so much to offer, so much to give. She will always be loved, always remembered. She will live on in our minds and in our hearts. She will be looking down upon us giving us her blessing in our lives going forward until that day when we will see her again.