Recipes for Living Bell Family of Osceola

A Bell family picture taken in 1960.
Back row: Dick, Lucille, Mary and Olive.
Front row: Bill III, Dave, Ralph and Bill II

Perhaps it was the death of Kathryn Bell, the last living member of her generation, which prompted Ron Fouch to ask that a story of the Bell Family be written. The following information has been gathered from newspaper clippings, Mickey Thomas' "Tales from the Aisles," the obituary furnished by Kale Funeral Home, and memories of friends and neighbors.

Kathryn M. Helland Bell, 93, formerly of Osceola, passed from this life on Sunday, August 7, 2011 at the Madrid Home in Madrid. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 10, at the Sanborn Memorial Chapel in the Madrid Home, where the family will greet friends for one hour prior to the service time on Wednesday. Funeral services will continue at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 11, at Kale Funeral Home in Osceola, IA, where the family will also greet friends for one hour prior to the service on Thursday. Burial will follow at Maple Hill Cemetery in Osceola.

Kathryn was born on May 6, 1918 in Polk City, Iowa to Bret and Sara Johnson Evans. She was formerly employed as an accountant with Economy Forms in Des Moines for several years. In her earlier years, Kathryn enjoyed painting in watercolors and oils, gardening, reupholstering furniture and caning chairs. She also shined as a gifted seamstress, and loved sewing and crocheting.

She is survived by her son, Paul (Joan) Helland of Slater; four grandchildren, Ed (Kim) Helland, Kathy (Randy) Weatherman, Debby Helland-Engle and Steve Helland; and seven great-grandchildren, Heidi (Kyle) Miller, Eric (Erica) Helland, Matt Sillanpaa, Chelsea Weatherman, Dillon Weatherman, Jacob Engle and Samuel Engle; and two great-great-grandchildren, Reece Miller and Jillianna Helland. Kathryn was preceded in death by her husband, Bill Bell; and one sister and two brothers.

The "Bell Farm" was bought by 1st Generation Samuel Bell in 1893, and was farmed by the 2nd generation, Ralph Bell, who in 1936, the year of a great drought, located a top quality herd of registered Aberdeen-Angus cattle at Lebanon, Nebraska. Dr. Conreid Rex Harken had lost his savings in the stock market crash of 1929, and had chosen to invest his earnings in rental properties and farm land. Along with Arden Newell, a local government agent, Dr. Harken purchased the herd for $5,000. Ralph Bell's finder's fee stipulated that his two teen-age sons, Bill and Dick Bell, who were active in 4-H, would get their choice of two heifers. Kenneth Whirrett, former Clarke County Extension Agent, divided the herd into two equal groups, which was the beginning of the nationally renowned Bell Brothers' pure-bred Aberdeen-Angus herd.

Neighbor Keith Bowlsby tells a story of the famous bull, the star of their herd, named Keyban Bardlier. Living next door, so to speak, the Bowlsby garden was separated only by a fence from the bull's pen. Every time Keith's mother, Ava, went out to work in or gather produce from her garden, the bull would stand on the opposite side of the fence, pawing the ground and snorting at her. If she'd had a gun, Keith said, she'd have shot him. His father, Pearl, reminded her that he was grand champion of all the bulls in the world, which didn't elevate him in her eyes. She didn't like him!

Dr. Harken owned 2,300 acres of Clarke County farm land, which included the 800-acre Harken Ranch. The most visible was the 440 acre ranch, the show place for Dr.'s Aberdeen-Angus cattle. Originally the farm had many buildings — 3 eye-catching ones were constructed with thousands of pavement bricks Dr. Harken purchased when Osceola's Main Street was paved. The Headquarters Show Pavilion is of English style architecture. A quotation remains from a 1945 article published by Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Association, "The pavilion is what you would expect from a planner with scientific knowledge. Every nail is blue-printed." This would come as no surprise by those of us who received diagnoses and prescribed medication of this brilliant doctor. His pure-bred herd, which gained wide fame, peaked in the 1950s at 500 head. The shows at the Harken Headquarters Show Pavilion drew many buyers and at the International Livestock Show in Chicago in 1941, Harken Farms showed the Reserve Champion steer.

Ralph Bell was manager of the Federal Land Bank in Creston during the Great Depression years of the 30s. He had the responsibility of managing and finding tenants and owners for over 100 farm foreclosures. He died in 1963, his wife Olive in 1989. Of the next generation Dick and wife Lucille had three children — Bill III, Dave, and Mary Bell Williams. Dick became President of the National Angus Association. Their annual show auction attracted buyers from throughout the United States and Canada.

The Bell brothers' partnership was terminated and a dispersion sale was held. In their 50-page dispersion catalogue the Bell's wrote, "We had always planned to celebrate the Golden Anniversary of our herd in a different way. However, problems of health have dictated this decision. Our father, Ralph Bell, was a very knowledgeable and progressive livestock man and because of his guidance and council, we have always worked to keep this herd relevant to the beef industry. Our sense of loss at selling this herd is magnified by the fact that every animal was born on our farm. Indeed, in most cases, several generations of their ancestors had been in our care since their first day. These cattle have brought great satisfaction to us and we hope they will to their new owners."

Bill Bell, the 3rd generation to live on the land purchased by Sam Bell, remained unmarried for many years. Dr. Fred Wood loves to remember, while he was associated with Dr. George Lewis and Dr. Gary Fisher in the Osceola Vet Clinic, Kathryn was their employee. One day she remarked to Fred that she had seen Bill and he wasn't looking too well. "When you see him, tell him to come over and have supper with me." Several weeks later Fred asked if that had happened and she said, "He came for supper and never left." In 2007, they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.

Keith and Dorothy Bowlsby still lived as neighbors and nominated Bill and Kathryn for the Good Neighbor Award. The story with their picture has been clipped from the Des Moines Register, and the story appeared also in the July 20, 2006, Osceola Sentinel Tribune, kept by Dorothy. The Good Neighbor Award is a partnership between the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Ag Radio Network. A monthly plaque was presented to an Iowa livestock producer who exhibits the qualities of a good neighbor, takes great care of the livestock, and also shows care and concern about the environment.

The couple didn't believe they had done anything special in their neighborhood. Their neighbors thought differently. The Bowlsbys said "Bell has been an excellent farmer all of his life, using good management and good land improvement practices." In the July 20, 2006 issue, the Des Moines Register reported:

Bill and Kathryn Bell pictured with the 2006
Iowa Good Neighbor Award and the Iowa
Century Farm designation

"These hills are meant for livestock," says Bell. He pastured his pure-bred Angus on the erodible hills, and row-cropped only the flatter land. He also built the soil by fertilizing it with manure. The Bowlsbys wrote, "The Bells have been known nationwide for their Angus legacy and for their honesty and integrity. They truly are good neighbors.

"Bill Bell started his pure-bred Angus herd with one heifer as a 4-H project in 1937, when he was 14. After serving in the military in World War II, he moved with his parents to his grandparents' farm west of Osceola, where he and Kathryn still live, and continued to raise Angus cattle. In the 1970s and '80s, he was in partnerships with his brother Dick. Twice the Angus herd was dispersed. Both times he bought back more cattle. 'I was always in favor of Angus.'

"Now they rent crop acres to another farmer, but still care for 25 cows and their calves. A few of those belong to Kathryn's grandson, Ed Helland of Runnels, who helps. Now that Bill no longer raises row crops, he has time to help Kathryn in the garden, where they raise nearly all of their vegetables for freezing, canning and giving away."

(Secretary of Agriculture) Judge will present the award to the Bells on their farm with a remote live broadcast on WHO Radio Big Show July 21 between 11:30 a.m. — 12:30 p.m. with farm broadcaster Bruce Gaardner. The Bells say they plan to stay on their farm forever.

Bill: 'Raising livestock is a pleasure.' Kathryn describes their farm and neighborhood with a single word, 'Utopia.: "All our neighbors are so good, it's easy to be a good neighbor," says Kathryn. We just believe in the Golden Rule. Do to others as you would have them do to you."