NESS CITY — Marva Jo Bell, age 77, passed away on May 10, 2017 at the Ness County Hospital, Ness City. She was born in Thomas, Okla., on March 22, 1940 to John William and Edith Isola (Osteen) Dillmon. They then moved to Fay, Okla., where she attended school from first grade to the first half of her seventh-grade year. Then they moved to Kansas where she attended Ashton Grade School; Rome Grade School; then went to South Haven for her high school years, graduating in May of 1958.
She married Jerry D. Bell on Nov. 25, 1959. She was working at Bauersfeld IGA Store as a checker in Wellington. To this union three children were born: Jerry D. Bell Jr., Sonya Ann (Bell) Foos, and John Ray Bell.
They lived in Wellington until April 1968 when they moved to Menlo, then in 1969 moved to Winona, in 1970 moved to Idalia, Colo., in 1972 moved to Alexander, where they raised their family and resided until 1996.
Marva Jo was vice president of the Alexander State Bank until 1987. In 1989, she went to work in the business office at Barton County Community College where she retired in 2003 after 15 years. She and husband Jerry traveled to South Texas for the winters for five years until his death in 2008. After husband Jerry died she moved to Ness City to be closer to her children. She continued to travel to South Texas for several years by herself.
In 2013, she married an old friend, Arnold Watts, and the two of them would winter in South Texas. Arnold passed away in February of 2015.
She was a member of the First Christian Church, Wellington, and the Order of the Eastern Star, Dodge City. In 1983, she was named in Who’s Who in American Women which was an accomplishment and honor.
She was preceded in death by her parents, infant son J.R. Bell, husbands and two sisters, Roberta Currell of Thomas, Okla., and Wilma Gibson of Scott City.
Survivors are her children J.D. Bell and wife Diane of Ness City, and Sonya Foos and husband Kevin of Bazine; two stepsons, Scott Watts of Keller, Texas, and Ryan Watts of Auburn, Ala.; four grandchildren, Jason and Danielle Foos, Valarie and Ryan Kraft, Laura and Starsky Bauer, and Olivia Bell; two great-grandchildren, Gunner Foos and Oakley Bauer; sister, Jenette Cole of Wellington; and two brothers, Robert Dillmon of Lawrence and Billy Dillmon.
Family and friends visitation will be held on Sunday, May 14 from 6-8 p.m. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home. Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. on Monday at the funeral home, followed by burial at 3:30 p.m. in the Prairie Lawn Cemetery, Wellington.
Memorial contributions may be given to the Shriners Hospitals and Burn Centers.
Words of sympathy and support may be left for the family at www.fitzgeraldfuneral.com.

Funeral arrangements provided by
Fitzgerald Funeral Home**
207 N. Pennsylvania Ave.
Ness City, KS 67560
Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, May 12, 2017