Imogene Richie Bell
Imogene Richie Bell, 80, of Rensselaer, passed away Saturday, March 21, at the Visiting Nurse Association Horton Hospice Center in Valparaiso.
Imogene was born in Elmrock, Kentucky, on April 11, 1934, the daughter of the late Coet and Hattie (Messer) Dobson. She graduated from the Gillam Township School.
Imogene was an employee of Sealy Spring manufacturing for the majority of her working years, and also employed as a secretary at Jim Dobson Ford in Winamac before entering into retirement.
She was a member of the Hamlet Lions Club, the Starke County Historical Society, and the Better Homes Home Economics Club in Knox. Imogene was a graduate of the Dale Carnegie Skills for Success Course, and was voted “Best Public Speaker” by her fellow participants. Never one to be idle, Imogene served as a volunteer with the Pulaski County Hospice and with the Pulaski Memorial Hospital Aux, and was a member of the Oak Grove Primitive Baptist Church.
Imogene’s first marriage was to Frelin Richie on Oct. 4, 1952. He passed away on Feb. 20, 1980. On Aug. 26, 1989, she married Thomas Jefferson Bell, who passed away on Oct. 23, 1993.
Surviving are her loving children: Loretta Heidler of DeMotte, Karen Harding of Crown Point, Colleen [Charles] DeMoss of Wheatfield, and Douglas [Tina] Richie of Rensselaer; nine grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; brothers: Hobart [Adna] Dobson of Rensselaer, and William [Diane] Dobson of Florida; sisters: Claudine Childers of Francesville, and Gladys [Larry] Stonebraker of Brookston; brother-in-law Cecil Williams of Rensselaer; and two sisters-in-law: Jean Dobson of Winamac, and Alice Dobson of Rensselaer.
She was preceded in death by her parents; two husbands; daughter Vicky Lynn Richie; brothers: John and James Dobson; and a sister Erma Williams.
Visitation was Tuesday, March 24, from 2-8 p.m. CDT at the Jackson Funeral Chapel of Rensselaer. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, March 25, at 10 a.m. (CDT) at the Jackson Funeral Chapel of Rensselaer with Elder Thurman Ritchie officiating. Burial will follow at Richie Cemetery, Rensselaer.
Memorials may be made to the Oak Grove Primitive Baptist Church.
Share memories and leave condolences at www.jacksonfuneral.com.