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Verda Arlean King Hadley Bell, beloved mother, grandmother, quilter, and accomplished singer passed away peacefully, on May 9th, 2022, 20 days after her 99th birthday. A Funeral Service will be held for Verda on Saturday, May 14th at 2 PM at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Fairfield, Montana. There will be a viewing one hour prior to the Service.
Verda was born on April 19, 1923, in West Point, Utah to Clara and James King, the ninth of twelve children. She grew up on a farm and learned the value of work at an early age as she and her siblings worked in the fields, hoeing beets, and taking care of the other row crops that grew on their farm. But it wasn’t all work. With a large family of playmates and musical parents, they spent many evenings singing together, accompanied by their mom on her guitar and playing all sorts of games.
In October of 1942, she met Don Hadley, and after a short courtship, they were married June 23, 1943, in the Salt Lake City temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They would spend the next 49 years together. In Utah, they were blessed with two sons, Brent and Roger, whom they loaded up and moved to Montana in 1948. They bought a farm on the Greenfield Bench, where they lived for the next 40 years, welcoming a daughter, Diane, two more sons, Jim and Bruce, and two more daughters, Laraine and Rene’.
Mom had a beautiful soprano voice, singing a solo in public for the first time when she was 4 years old. That was the beginning of 90 plus years of generously sharing her talent with her community, church, and family. She sang at baby showers, bridal showers, weddings, receptions, and funerals, not to mention, church, school, and other community functions. She loved her years of singing with the church choir and the Fairfield Community Choir.
She grew a large garden, preserving food for her family to enjoy all winter. Her bread-making skills were unparalleled. She could make doughnuts that would melt in your mouth, and the flakiest pie crust you ever ate! For many years, she raised chickens and sold their eggs on an egg route in Great Falls and Fairfield, which earned her the nickname of “the egg lady”.
Mom always loved sewing. She made many of her children’s clothes, especially the girls, and gained a love of fabric, which led her into the hobby of quilt-making as her children grew up and she had more time. I wish I knew how many quilts she pieced and hand-quilted over the years. It must be in the hundreds. She had beautiful, even stitches and a real feel for patterns and colors.
The things that were most important to Mom weren’t things at all. She loved her family and the gospel of Jesus Christ. This shaped most of what she did in her life. She followed her children and grandchildren around the state of Montana to watch their events. She especially loved a good basketball game, but she supported us in other sports, academics, music, drama, and anything else we did. Mom was a loving caregiver to Dad, who suffered from ill health in the later part of his life.
Mom was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints all of her life, setting an example of dedication and how a disciple of Jesus Christ should live. She served valiantly in various capacities and influenced many young people for good. After Dad passed away in 1992, she served a year-long Family History mission in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In 1996, she met and married Myron Bell. They spent 11 years together. She enjoyed getting to know his family and developed a close relationship with them. She also cared for him when his health gave out.
Verda was preceded in death by her parents, 5 brothers, 6 sisters, 2 husbands, and her son, Bruce.
She is survived by her children; Brent (Kathy) Hadley, Choteau, MT; Roger (Bonnie) Hadley, Fairfield, MT; Diane (Jim) Blossom, Great Falls, MT; Jim (Theresa) Hadley, Lewistown, MT; Laraine (Tim) Kolste, Fairfield, MT; and Rene’ Hadley, Boise, ID. She is also survived by 20 grandchildren, 49 great grandchildren, and 5 great, great grandchildren. God be with you ‘til we meet again!
A special thanks to the amazing caregivers at Front Range Assisted Living, who made her life so enjoyable the last year and a half.
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