BLAINE COUNTY JOURNAL Wednesday August 6, 1997
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WESLEY BELL
Wesley Britton Bell, 82, of Kalispell died on August 1, 1997, at Liberty
Lake, WA where he was living with his son Britt. Graveside services were held
at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 3, 1997, at the Glacier Memorial Gardens with
Pastor Dennis Jingst of the Grace Bible Fellowship officiating. Arrangements
were by the Johnson Mortuary and Crematory.
Wes was born February 2, 1915, in Sibbald, Alberta, Canada to Thomas and
Lena Lenora (Davis) Bell. He was the youngest of their four children. His
father farmed and worked in the logging industry and his mother raised the
children and accasionally cooked in the camps and area restaurants.
When Wes was eight years old his family moved to Great Falls and soon
after they moved to Nyack,MT located on the middle fork of the Flathead River.
He was an excellent student, entering Flathead High School at the age of 12.
After graduating Wes lived with his family at Nyack trapping and living off the
land.
On September 7, 1939, Wes married Clarice Sargent in Kalispell, MT. They
moved to Chinook where he mined coal and in 1941 he became a U. S. citizen.
Before going to work on the Columbia Falls Aluminum Plant in 1953, Wes worked
on construction for the Highway Department and the Railroad. He and Clarice
bought and for two years operated a tourist camp at Essex. In 1977 Wes retired,
operating the paste plant for ARCO.
Wes' interests including hunting, gunsmithing and woodworking. He was
also an avid reader. He and Clarice traveled in many areas of the U.S. Canada
while visiting numerous relatives.
He is survived by three sons, Tom Bell of Kalispell, Britt Bell and his
wife Lee of Liberty Lake, WA, and Mark Bell and his wife Gerye of Cody, WY; one
sister, Gladys Alton of Kalispell; five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
He was preceeded in death by his wife, Clarice, on July 18, 1997; and
his parents.
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