Martha J. Bell, formerly of Shelby, Ohio, passed away at Windsor House in Warren, Ohio on April 16, 2025.
She was born in Shelby on July 14, 1937, to William and Catherine McKinney, and grew up on the family farm on W. Main St. She attended the Morton School and then graduated from Shelby High School in 1954. She was employed as a secretary at the Salesbook until shortly after her marriage to Kenneth R. Bell on June 2, 1957, and in later years was employed as an office manager for Dr. Fred Meier.
She and Ken raised their family in Shelby, were active in the First United Methodist Church, and played in a Euchre club for 40 years with the Kirkendalls, Lasers, Majors, Thomases, and Coles. The family travelled and camped throughout the country, creating many lasting memories for their children. Ken and Martha moved to Charles Mill Lake in 1996, where they enjoyed lakeside living, boating, and an active social life. Martha loved to sew, often making clothes for herself, and her sons remember wearing suit jackets and coats which she made specially for them. She also loved gardening and baking, and rarely met a brownie recipe that she didn’t want to try. She often took baked goods to her neighbors, and we always looked forward to one of her delicious pies or other desserts. Volunteering at Kingwood Center, in the Gift Shop at OhioHealth Hospital in Mansfield, as well as with the Richland County Elections Board, were activities she really enjoyed in more recent years.
She loved to read, to travel, and she loved to laugh, always getting a kick out of telling a new joke.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth (2008), a brother, Jimmy (1934), her parents, William and Catherine McKinney, and a sister, Alice Hart. Martha is survived by a sister, Ruth Graszl, Jr. in Mansfield, her sons Chris in Columbus, Craig in Warren, Oh, John (Aaron) in Boston, MA, grandchildren Seth, Ben (Rebekah), Jaclyn, Mallory (Brian), Ethan, Andrea, and great-grandchildren Emma and Benjamin, as well as nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at the Barkdull Funeral Home & Crematory at 33 N. Gamble St. in Shelby, on Friday, April 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM. Friends are welcomed to join the family following services at the First United Methodist Church at 18 S. Gamble St.
The Barkdull Funeral Home & Crematory is honored to be serving the Bell family.
Funeral Home: Barkdull Funeral Home & Crematory
Website: www.barkdullfuneralhome.com