Bette Ruth Wyatt Bell

     Bette Ruth Wyatt Bell passed into the presence of Jesus on October 27, 2022, at the age of 97 in Durango, Colorado.  She was born in Tahoka, Texas, on May 8, 1925, to Notley and Opal Wyatt, the second of four children.  After graduating from high school, Bette moved to Lubbock, Texas, where she enjoyed working as a secretary in the executive office of Dunlap’s department store.  While in Lubbock she met Gregg Bell who was a pilot in the Army Air Corp.  They married on September 20, 1946. 

     Bette and Gregg were blessed with four daughters.  Bette delighted in sewing, cooking, antiquing, bookkeeping for Gregg’s businesses, and managing a busy household.  In 1971 Bette and Gregg moved to Durango, Colorado, and built a home on the Florida River.  The early years were spent raising chickens, gardening, canning, and refinishing antique furniture.  Bette enjoyed singing with The Sweet Adelines for several years. She and Gregg explored the mountains in their 1952 Army Jeep with the Durango Creeper Jeepers Club. After all the girls left home Bette found her niche working as a secretary for the School of Business at Fort Lewis College.  The ten years she spent at Fort Lewis were some of the most fulfilling of her life.  After retiring, Bette and Gregg became “snow birds.”  They put all their talents and energy into restoring a historic Victorian home in New Braunfels, Texas, during the winter months and returning to Durango for the summers.  They loved the snowbird lifestyle and all the close friends they met in Texas.  After Gregg’s passing in 2015, at the age of 90, Bette sold her beloved home on the Florida River to move closer to her daughter, Desiree in Three Springs.  

     Bette is preceded in death by her parents Notley and Opal Wyatt, her sister Leta Young, and her husband Gregg.  She is survived by her sister Nancy Nell Morris (Dallas), her brother Mark Wyatt (Atlanta), her four daughters Carla (Chris) Galanos of Dallas, TX, Niesha Bell of Austin, TX, Desiree Bell of Durango, and Lorelei Almond of Durango, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. 

     A memorial service for Bette will be held on Saturday, November 12, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at Hood Mortuary in Durango.  Live streaming of the service will be available on the Hood Mortuary website:  www.hoodmortuary.com.  Refreshments will follow the service. 

     In lieu of flowers, Bette requested that contributions be made to: Samaritan’s Purse, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607 or you may call at: 828-262-1980.