Rodmon C. Bell
Born: December 15th, 1927
Died: March 31st, 2010
Obituary
Rodmon C. Bell, 82, of Burlington, died at 5:20 p.m. Wednesday, March 31, 2010, at Great River Medical Center. Born December 15, 1927, in Keokuk, he was the son of James and Emma Schneider Bell. On June 12, 1949, he married Ruth Jaeger in Burlington. Mr. Bell was a 1945 graduate of Burlington High School. He was employed for 10 years in retail sales at Montgomery Ward. He then worked for Burlington Paper Co. as a paper and packaging sales representative in southeast Iowa and western Illinois for 42 years, and received numerous awards as salesman of the year in the paper industry. He was a member of Burlington Kiwanis, KAABA Shrine, and a 50-year member of Patriot Masonic Lodge No. 650 AF&AM. He served on the Burlington Planning Commission, five years on the Iowa Board of Nursing Examiners, and served one year as chairman of the Des Moines County Republican Party. He was county chairman for the state and congressional candidates for the Senate, House and Governor. He was a three-time recipient of Governor's Volunteer Award, was appointed Honorary Colonel in the Iowa Militia in 1995, and was state co-chair of 1998 Iowa Summit Celebration of Colin Powell's America's Promise. For the past 18 years, he was the National Guard representative for the Employers Support of the Guard and Reserve at the local National Guard Armory. He was elected president of the Iowa State Bridge League in 1967, placed in the Iowa State Bridge League Hall of Fame in 1995, attaining the rank of silver life master. He taught night bridge classes at Burlington High School and Southeastern Community College. He was inducted in the Burlington High School Hall of Fame in 2003, and appointed to the board of Burlington Education Foundation in 2004. He received the Distinguished Citizen Award in 2009 by the Boy Scouts. He was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, and golfer, and he enjoyed fishing, playing duplicate bridge and doing volunteer work for the Burlington Community High School. Survivors include his wife of Burlington. Friends may call from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Lunning Chapel. His body has been cremated. The memorial reception for Mr. Bell will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 11, at the Burlington Golf Club. Private burial will be in Aspen Grove Cemetery, with the Rev. David Behlman officiating. A memorial has been established for Burlington Education Foundation for scholarships.