Rhea Bell was born on Jun 5, at 2:35 in the afternoon of 1921. She was the sevond daughter of Jennings B. and Georgia Rhea Smith. She was delivered by her great uncle, Dr. C.A. Smith in their home, under the water tower in Osceola, Missouri.
She graduated from Osceola High School in 1938. She married her class mate Charles H. Hutsler on January 23rd 1943 while he was in the Marine Corps stationed at Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego, California.
To this union were born 3 children, Lawrence A. Hutsler, Charles H. Hutsler III and Jo Kay. She had 5 grandsons, 7 granddaughters, 10 great-grandsons, 3 great-granddaughters and also 1 great-great grandson.
Rhea Bell loved the Lord, her family and friends. She was known to fix dinners of fried chicken or fish for as many as thirty at a sitting. She also loved to make biscuits and gravy for breakfast in the Rockies for family members. She was an avid fisherman, luckily for Charles H., she would fish all day without a bite especially if she was in the Rockies. If it snowed or rained she wouldn’t mind staying out if the fish were biting.
Rhea was also a very good card player, so good she could throw a game, just so Richard could win a hand. Rhea always had a sense of adventure, luckily for Charles H. and her children and grandchildren. She was known to take rides on horses, motorcycles, Corvettes, wave runners, and to ride a tube behind a ski boat. She rode a rollercoaster at Silver Dollar City that went upside down when she was eighty years old.
She loved her home in the country and her garden, luckily again for Charles H., she canned everything he could grow and let him brag about how much he was saving by doing it all by himself.
Rhea Bell was always close to her sisters, so close 3 children from 3 sisters were born on the same day of August 16th, no explanation for that. It could have had something to do with the Smith stubbornness.
In later years Rhea spent a lot of time with sister-in-law, Betty Hutsler attending Gaither Homecoming concerts. She had a close relationship with her only surviving sister Jimmie Jean. They went on cruises together and to the Rockies to fish whenever they could bribe someone to take them, and it always ended up being a family gathering enjoyed by all.
Rhea Bell suffered from Alzheimer’s in her last few years. She enjoyed going to Church on Sunday and called everyone “honey” when she couldn’t remember names. One day while visiting her son, Larry told her it would be fine if she ever forgot his name just so he could hear her call him honey. She looked at him and said, “thank you honey”. The Smith family was also known for their good humor.
Rhea Bell expressed the most important thing in her life was for all her family and friends to be saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. She led a life of example and was an inspiration to all. Everyone that met her knew she was a Chhristian.
She passed away on Saturday the 26th of April, 2014 and will be sorely missed; however she always said the day she left this earth was to be a day of celebration and not to mourn for her. Because she was with the Lord, all her family and friends gone before her and enjoying every minute and would be looking forward to seeing us all there some day.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Charles H., 2 sisters, Lila Lee Scott and Iona Foote; 1 grandson Charles David Hutsler; 2 great granddaughters, Alexa Grace Mowery and Charley Louise Hutsler.
Rhea is survived by sons, Larry and wife Sandy Hutsler, Chuck Hutsler; daughter, KoKay and her husband David See; grandsons, Jon Hutsler, Ryan Hutsler, Kyle Hutsler, Tristen and wife, Sara See; granddaughters, Jill and husband, Jason Werdrick, Lisa Kiefer, Rhonda and husband, Dalton Vann, Linda and husband Dennis Higgins, Keri and husband Stan Thomas, Jamie and husband Todd Mowery and Rachel See; 10 great-grandsons, Nicholas Hutsler, Drew Kiefer, Deron Vann, Michael Vann, Taylor Higgins, Joel Higgins, Guy Thomas, Cole Thomas, Braxton Mowery and Apollo Anderson; 1 great-granddaughter, Kinley Mowery and 1 great great-grandson Brennon Vann.
Leave a Reply