Eleanor Ann Bell, age 88, passed away peacefully on November 11, 2021, at the Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas. She was born on December 24, 1932, in Lincoln, Kansas, to Melvin and Marie Clark. She was united in marriage to Jack E. Bell in August 1954. He died on August 22, 1997.
Eleanor attended high school in Independence, Kansas. She went on to earn a Bachelors degree from Kansas State University in 1954 and continued to receive a Masters degree in education from the University of Missouri. She taught at Scott City Elementary School, Selden High School, Claflin Schools, Barton County Community College, and the Great Bend Middle School.
Eleanor had been a resident of Great Bend since 1973, after moving from St. Louis. She was a member of the Great Bend Panhellenic, Chi Omega sorority, Chapter DU of PEO, Concord Investment Club, Monday Book Club, First United Methodist Church, Creatures of Habit choral group, Lifetime Member of the Kansas State University Alumni Association, and also a member of the Kansas State University President’s Club. Eleanor loved to travel, cook, read and be with family.
She is survived by her children, DeLayne Ewing (Doug) and Spencer Bell (Vija); her grandchildren, Evan Ewing (Lindsey), Lauren Ewing (Matt) and Preston Bell. Also surviving is her sister, Carol Ryan; and two nieces, Pam Larson and family, and Wendy Bennett and family. She was preceded in death by her husband, Jack Bell.; and her previously departed long-time friend, Jerry Schnittker.
Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 16, 2021, at Bryant Funearl Home, with family to receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m.,Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at the First United Methodist Church, with Reverend Tim Bever presiding. Burial will be at the Great Bend Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested for a scholarship to Kansas State University for Great Bend High School graduates, in the name of Jack E. Bell and Eleanor Ann Bell Kansas State University Scholarship Fund, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.