Betty Ann Bell

Betty A. Bell, 92, of Monona, IA, formerly of Waukon, IA, passed into the presence of her Lord and Savior on Sunday, June 9, 2024, in her home at Garden View Place in Monona. Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 29th, at 11:00 AM at First Baptist Church in Waukon with Pastor Duane Smith officiating. Burial will be held at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Battle Creek, MI, at a later date. Friends may greet the family one hour before the services on Saturday at the church. Martin – Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling the arrangements.

Betty Ann Greene Bell was born on February 5, 1932, to Rufus Thomas and Mary Celia (Lewis) Greene in Elizabethton, TN. She graduated from Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC, in 1953 with a bachelor's degree in education. She married the love of her life, Bobby Dan Bell, of Meridian, ID, on Memorial Day, May 30, 1953.

While her primary responsibilities were as a wife, mother, and homemaker, Betty also worked as a dental assistant, taught grades 5-8 in a one-room schoolhouse, and taught GED classes to the troops on the bases Bobby was stationed after he entered the US Army as a chaplain in 1962. Once her children were in school, she also volunteered at the base thrift stores, led Bible studies, and served in many other capacities. Betty became a surrogate mother to many soldiers through the years, making sure they were well fed and that they had a place to call home while stationed so far away from their own. She was truly a helpmeet to her husband, supporting him through his military career and higher education, holding down the fort through two hardship tours of duty, and supporting him through his career as a pastor and marriage/family counselor after his military retirement.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Chap. (Col.) Bobby Dan Bell (US Army Ret.); sister-in-law Emma Lou Sunderland; son Larry Duane (Lora Ziemer Bell-Rouse) Bell; and her brothers: Bob Greene and Karl "Dean" Greene. She is survived by her daughter Valeria Ann (Daniel Mark) White of rural Postville, IA; grandchildren: Lauran Elise White, Emily Grace White, Jennifer Annette Bell, and Daniel Timothy Bell; great-grandchildren: Brooklyn Harmony Bell, Brianna Hope Bell, Baleigh Haven Bell, and Olin Knox Hendrix; and nephews and nieces: Stephen Greene of Menomonie, WI, Susan Greene Symon of Hudson, MN, Tom Greene and Scott Greene, both of Knoxville, TN, Jon (Rosemarie) Dirksen of Boardman, OR, Lou Anna Dirksen (Norman) Boyer of Palmer, AK, Nathan (Pavla) Dirksen of Happy Valley, OR, and Sam (April) Dirksen of Kennewick, WA.

Casketbearers are Daniel White, Stephen Greene, Randy Van Ruler, Paul Roeder, Mel Johnson, and Larry Gelo.