Dorothy Bell was born in Stockton, CA to Lukin Pond and Ethel Kwok, who immigrated from Canton, China. An attention-getter from the start, her baby photo was featured in an article by the Columbia, Missouri newspaper, where her parents moved shortly after her birth. The article described her as “this perfect baby, new citizen, has fondness for rice.” She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and her father, Lukin, owned a dry goods shop and was involved in the Chinese Gospel Mission.
Dorothy carried her Christian faith with her all her life and it played an important role in how she lived in the world. Valuing learning all her life, Dorothy joined the US Nurse Cadet Corps in 1944 and attended Wheaton College, graduating with a BA in Zoology and Music. Dorothy was an accomplished musician and showed aptitude for piano at a very young age; she would be very pleased to tell you she was a “prodigy.” She recorded two albums, played piano with one hand and organ with the other, and loved musical theater all her life.
Dorothy married John Luethge and had three daughters, who inherited not only her love for musical theater, but her good looks, style, sense of humor, and generosity. She worked as an Administrative Assistant at St. Louis University School of Medicine and at Washington University, Department of Biochemistry, and also at Meramec Community College.
At 50, she married Garth Essex Bell on November 25, 1972. Garth, who passed away in 2004, was an artist and Humanities Department Chair. Garth and Dorothy shared their faith and their love of travel and the arts. Together they traveled to Egypt, Israel, Marrakesh, South & Central America, and across Europe. Dorothy later traveled to China, and with Spirit Tours to South Africa, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Bali, and Thailand.
Dorothy had an immensely positive and fighting spirit. Although Dorothy experienced health issues at the end of her life, her positivity made it so that she was everyone’s favorite patient. Most importantly, she loved fiercely and was there for everyone in her life when they most needed her. Anyone that she loved was supremely and utterly lucky because it meant that they had the toughest and most stubborn supporter on their side. There aren’t words enough to describe how deeply loved she was by every member of her family, even the ones who weren’t related to her by blood. May we all be so lucky to have an ounce of her grace, compassion, humor, and positivity.
Dorothy is survived by her loving daughters, Joan Shapiro and husband Glenn, Austin, TX, Janice Lloyd and husband David, Austin, TX, and Dorothy Cramer and husband James, Santa Rosa, CA and her grandchildren, Amber Snider, Stephanie Russell, Zach Cranor, Kelly Cramer, and Jimmy Cramer, as well as her Great Grandchildren, Nathan, Aiden, Fiona, and Stella Snider, Teagan McDowel, Amara Cutaia Omi, and Sienna Cramer. She will be missed by the many close friends who loved her, many of whom considered her their adopted mother or grandmother.
The family would like to give special thanks to St. David’s South Austin Medical Center, the Well Med Palliative Care nurses Shawn Leighton, Shandalyn Brookins, whose excellent, compassionate care and support allowed her daughters to provide Dorothy with a great quality of life at home these last few months.
A person like Dorothy Bell only comes around once a century; she will be greatly missed. How lucky we are to have someone we loved so much, who made our lives so full, that the world feels empty without her. Here at the Center for Spiritual Living Santa Rosa we remember Dorothy as a bright spirit. She would sing and dance in the social hall and all who met her were touched by her love and light.
Memorial Service on Saturday, October 30 at 2:00 PM at Cook-Walden/Forest Oaks Funeral Home, 6300 West William Cannon Drive, Austin, Texas 78749.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in the name of Dorothy Bell to Texas Performing Arts at The University of Texas at Austin: https://texasperformingarts.org/support
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