Obituary of Elizabeth Bell

BELL, Phyllis Elizabeth "Betty" nee Clarke

Born April 6, 1937 at Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario. Died May 13, 2024 at Forest Hill long term care home, Kanata, Ontario in her 88th year.  Betty is predeceased by her loving husband Robert "Bob" James George Bell (December 18, 2020).

Loved and cherished by her son Rob and his wife Lynn of Mississippi Lake, Beckwith, Ontario; granddaughter Alicia Busch and her husband Eric, great-grandchildren Emilia and Everett of  Pinawa, Manitoba; grandson David and his wife Sarah,  great-granddaughter Zoe of Ottawa Ontario.

Her daughter Jackie Irving, Ottawa, Ontario;  granddaughter Robyn Irving, Vancouver, B.C. and grandson Dustin and his wife Mia, Ottawa, Ontario

Survived by her sisters Judi White (Stewart)  Bowmanville, Ontario  and Penny Johnson (Dean) Hamilton, Ontario;  sister-in-law Harriet Clarke, Ottawa, brother-in-law Fred Clarke, Dashwood, Ontario.

Remembered and loved by her many nieces, nephews and their families.

Godmother to Jill Johnson, Hamilton, Ontario and Susan Maver, Grand Bend, Ontario.

Predeceased by infant daughter Margaret (1964); parents Ernest Murray and Edith Margaret "Peggy" (Finney) Clarke; her brother Alan Clarke, sister Elinor Clarke, brother-in-law Bob Johnson, brother-in-law Bill Bell, sister-in-law Donna Bell, niece Cathie Bell and nephew Wayne Johnson.

Betty and Bob came to Ottawa in January 1960 from London, Ontario where Bob had secured employment at the Queen's Printer (Government of Canada Printing Bureau). Betty had been selected for training as a computer programmer at the London Life Company, but Bob's government opportunity as well as the arrival of their children delayed her career aspirations until a bit later when she began seasonal work at Revenue Canada in the data processing department, eventually working her way up to a senior supervisory position. When her children were older she had a number of full time positions eventually arriving at Blue Cross, finishing her work life as an insurance claims assessor.

 After renting residences in Ottawa and Hull they settled in the Touraine section of Gatineau in 1963 where they remained until 1977. At that point they moved to the Hampton Park area of Ottawa. This was followed by joint ownership (1983) of a duplex in Copeland Park (Ottawa) with their son and daughter-in-law,  joined by their grandchildren Alicia (1983) and David (1985) that was filled with many cherished times and happy memories of family dinners and quality time together. Finally (1991) Betty and Bob  purchased a town home in Centrepointe (Ottawa) where they remained until 2010 with a move to Kanata, their final locale.

Besides raising their children and doting on their grandchildren, Betty and Bob had two main passions: One was trips in the Ottawa region to camp sites in their truck camper, eventually extending those trips across Canada and the US. The second was square dancing in the Ottawa region as well as attending dancing conventions in Edmonton (1978) Ottawa (1980) and Halifax (1982) organized by the Canadian National Square & Round Dance Society. Bob was not an avid flyer, so they combined these passions by attending in their camper! It was common to see all of the fancy dresses and dancing paraphernalia around the house when visiting them. They made many, many close friends during these years as seen in their treasured photo albums.

Betty was a devoted wife who dedicated her later life to Bob, assisting him with his many medical challenges. When the time came for him to move to Forest Hill long term care home, she made sure to visit him every day driving up in her car from her apartment at Stonehaven Retirement Residence. She supplemented his diet with fresh fruit as well as his favorite treat Juicy Fruit gum.  When she was in need of living assistance they were united once again at Forest Hill where she could see him regularly. After his passing in 2020 she fully embraced the social life at Forest Hill only interrupted by disruptions caused by the pandemic. She attended as many concerts and group movie viewings as she was able as well as being a fearsome game player, her room sprinkled with the spoils of her efforts.

In her last few months, the bond between Betty and the staff of Forest Hill was very emotional and heartwarming. As her faculties faded and word spread of her challenges, she received many many unexpected 'pop in' visits. Staff was always happy to share their memories of Betty visiting Bob as well as the many conversations they had had with her over the years. They were always very quick to share with Betty's family just how much she will be missed. This has been very helpful for us to manage our grief. Thank-you!

Family and friends are invited to a celebration in honour of Betty which will be held Sunday, June 23, 2024 from 1:00 p.m to 4 p.m. at Cole Funeral Services, Highland Park Cemetery, 2037 McGee Side Road, Carp, Ontario.

Remembrances will be shared at 2:00 p.m.

In memory of Betty please donate to a charity of your choice.