Dorothy (Dot) Dot Evelyn Bell

Peacefully on March 26th at the St. Boniface Hospital, Dorothy known as Dot by many that loved her passed away at the age of 73.

Dot will be missed by her 3 sisters Linda (Bill), Joan (Michael), Joyce (John) and brother Les (Vianna). She was predeceased by parents Garvin and Mary Bell, 3 brothers, John, Arnold and Paul and niece/nephew-in-law, Kathy and Jim. She will be missed by many nieces and nephews that she loved dearly, as well as sister-in-laws Adel, Elsie and Wilma.

Dot was born on February 8th, 1938, and lived in La Broquerie where she grew up as the only sister among 4 boys, until the age of 14 when she finally received her wish of a sister, than two years later a set of twin sisters. Being on a farm meant that she spent many years helping raise her sisters, along with being relied on to help out. We remember many hours spent on the steps of the house where she sang songs and played her guitar.

She moved to the city and eventually found a job at the Scotia Bank data centre where she made many friends and stayed until she retired.

She loved to walk and would often be seen walking from work downtown to her home in St. Vital. Her true passion in life revolved around her family. She always had time to help anyone that was in need. With that also came the love for all her nieces and nephews, along with many “adopted nieces and nephews” of which there were many. She always referred to them as “her kids” and she proudly displayed their pictures throughout her apartment. She remembered all their birthdays and they knew that if she wasn’t going to see them that day, they would be getting a special card in the mail soon. She always looked forward to any special occasion where she could be with family and we knew that we could count on her to have her guitar and we would hear her sing before the day was done.

We would like to invite those that knew her to come celebrate her life with us on Thursday, March 31st at 1pm at Green Acres Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers we ask that donations be made to any charity of your choice.

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EXCERPT FROM ADDRESS of service for Dorothy Bell (by Marianne Proop)

– the relationship of siblings is both simple and complex. We share a roof, sometimes a room or even a bed. We grow up as close as twins or we are separated by time and space. We share DNA or are brought together by the joining of two families. No matter what the family configuration, there is something completely unique about sisters and brothers.

We know the deepest secrets that we promised not to tell, and we share a heart that hurts when the other has troubles or struggles. They can be a pain and a delight. They can be brutally honest or blindly loyal. Our siblings are there forever, to grow up and grow old with us. They see the world with us and help us make sense of the good, the bad and ugly.

Time stands still for just a moment as we acknowledge how she has touched your lives, has left an imprint on your hearts – and your souls are eternally changed.

Learning to live without Dot, your sister means finding a different set of ears who will hear you, who knows your history and loves you anyway. You will miss the talks, the family gatherings, the wise words and probably the wise cracks. No one can keep you grounded and humbled like a sibling. To you, she was a “gift from God” that treasure.

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Dot was born on February 8th, 1938 and was the daughter of Mary and Garvin Bell. She lived in La Broquerie, where she grew up as the only sister among 4 boys, until the age of 14 when she finally received her wish for a sister, than two years later a set of twin sisters. Her life on the farm always meant that there was much to do. She never complained about the hours that she spent helping her parents. Her family remembers always hearing her humming or whistling as she went around the house doing her chores. At the end of the day quite often she would take her guitar and go out on the step of the house where they would all join her and sing songs. The neighbours that lived down the road also commented how they would go out on the steps and sit and listen to “The Bell girls” sing.

After living some time in La Broquerie she decided it was time for her to move into Winnipeg where her brothers and sisters lived and start a life of her own. She found a job working in data processing at the Scotia Bank. She made many friends and after retiring she kept in touch with many of them and even got to know many of their spouses. She joined them any time they gathered for Christmas or any celebration, and enjoyed hearing about all the latest news.

Dot lead an extremely active life and loved walking. She was very proud of the fact that she would walk from work downtown to her apartment in St. Vital, sometimes 3 to 4 times a week. She enjoyed having her own apartment and got to know many of the residents in her block. She eventually joined the “Seniors Clubs” and enjoyed playing shuffleboard or just going and having coffee with them.

Even after a full day her family knew that if they called her and said to come over for a visit that she would be there “in a flash”. She loved camping with her sisters or enjoying her families back yard and was found many times digging, planting and weeding right along side her sisters. She always had time to help out with any project or would take care of the kids while projects were being done. All her family had to do was call and say we need you and she would drop anything she was doing and be there.

Being from a large family, Dot loved any and all family gatherings, of which there were many. When “The Bells” gathered there was always lots of fun, food and music, which she loved. Growing up, her dad and brothers and her would play music for hours and always had a captive family audience. Through the years she kept her love for music alive and would play her guitar and sing at all the family gatherings. She would often be asked by her brother Paul and his wife Wilma to go with them to their Horse Club gatherings where they would sit around singing and play music for hours. She also loved the country life and would go visit her brother Les and his wife Vianna in La Broquerie. She loved those times and always came back with stories to tell her sisters about what she did.

Her true passion and love in life were all her nieces and nephews. All our faces lit up when we saw Aunty Dot because we just knew that she would listen to all we had to say and she would make us laugh. She was right along side of us for many “firsts”, from our first steps, to teaching us to ride two wheelers or helping us learn to play our guitar. She always called us “her kids” and had pictures of all of us throughout her apartment. If anyone came to visit she proudly took them through her gallery of pictures explaining who we were.

Through the years her own nieces and nephews friends got to know her as Auntie Dot and when they walked in the door they could be heard to say “Hi Aunty Dot”. She always had welcoming arms and a big smile waiting for everyone.

As the years progressed her nieces and nephews started having children of their own and each and every one of them got to know Aunty Dot, even the ones that were shy never had problems cuddling up to Aunty Dot. With each new birth she would make sure to hold them until they fell asleep and was proud to say, “she had the touch”. In later years she would often phone them and liked talking to all of them. Although she had no children of her own, she had far more than anyone.

All her family and friends will miss that famous “Dot Smile” and the phone calls that we received on a regular basis from her. She loved to phone just to chat and see how the day had gone and kept everyone updated on all she had heard that day. Those calls will be missed greatly.

Aunty Dot, you will be with us every time we watch a curling or golf game that you so loved or hear a guitar play or go for a family breakfast, or gather as a family. Each one of us will feel your quiet loving presence and know that you are there in each and every one of our hearts.