Harold Sanford Bell, 81

Harold Sanford Bell passed away peacefully on Nov. 5, 2010, with his family at his side.

Harold was born May 15, 1929, in Boise, to Leslie and Nelle Bell. He spent most of his childhood growing up in Coeur d'Alene and graduated from Coeur d'Alene High School in 1947. In 1954 he married Dona Lee Brown and they settled in Spokane where they lived for nearly 30 years and raised their two children, Victoria and Kevin.

Harold enjoyed a 35-year career at Northwest Airlines starting his career in 1954 and retiring from the company in Portland, Ore., in 1989. He relocated back to North Idaho in 1989 after Dona's death in 1985. In 1990, Harold reconnected with a classmate, Betty Watts, and they married in 1991.

Harold was a man of many talents. He was a meticulous craftsman and built his and Dona's home on the Oregon Coast from the ground up. He was also very mechanical and enjoyed working on cars, boats and restoring old clocks. Even when his eye sight was failing, he was able to do almost anything and kept his yard up until just a few weeks before his death. He enjoyed boating and fishing on the Oregon Coast and camping and fly fishing in the Moon Pass area of North Idaho.

Harold is preceded in death by his wife, Dona; his parents, and siblings Doug and Laverne. He is survived by his wife, Betty; children Victoria Branum and Kevin (Alison) Bell; stepdaughter Patti (Dale) Silflow; his loving sister, Lois Hatch; eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Graveside services will be held at 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 12, 2010, for family and friends who would like to attend. The burial will be held at Forest Cemetery, 1001 Government Way in Coeur d'Alene. Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 12, 2010, at Yates Funeral Home, 373 East Hayden Ave. in Hayden. There will be a reception to follow in the Yates Gathering Center.

The family would like to extend a sincere and heartfelt thank-you to the ICU staff at Kootenai Medical Center and the ICU staff at North Idaho Advanced Care Hospital. Your tireless efforts were a great source of comfort to us all.

In lieu of flowers, charitable contributions can be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 9493 N. Government Way, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815.

Please visit Harold's memorial and sign his online guest book at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.