Chapter 3, Final Days of Sanders Bell.
On Wednesday evening, January 2, 2002, Sanders and King watched the Orange Bowl on television. The game ended about 10:15 and Sanders went to his room to prepare for bed. He then experienced a severe headache and began vomiting in the bathroom near his bedroom. King called 911 and asked for an emergency ambulance. He also called Carline Bell (Jimmy Lee Bell's wife), who lived across the street, to come over. The ambulance arrived about 10:35. Sanders was fully awake and got into the ambulance. The EMTs gave him an injection to help calm his vomiting and quickly transported him to South Sunflower County Hospital in nearby Indianola, arriving about 10:50 p.m. Sean and Rosemary had arrived at the hospital before the ambulance. By the time he arrived at the hospital, Sanders was unconscious and in a coma.
Doctors made CT scans of his brain and sent the scans online to Georgia for analysis. Results revealed that Sanders had suffered a sub-dural hemorrhage. Doctors said Sanders would need to get to a neurosurgeon, either in Greenville or Jackson. King and Rosemary requested that he be airlifted to University Medical Center in Jackson. Hospital personnel called for the helicopter to be sent from University Medical Center in Jackson. The helicopter arrived and landed in a vacant lot just north of the hospital and across the highway from the hospital emergency entrance. By 2:30 a.m. Sanders had been loaded on the helicopter and it left the hospital and flew to University Medical Center in Jackson. King and Rosemary thought that as soon as Sanders arrived, a neurosurgeon would drain the blood that had leaked between his brain and cranium and, once the pressure was relieved, Sanders would awaken. King went home to get some clothes and he left Inverness by 3:00 to go to Jackson. When he arrived at University Medical Center, Sean and Rosemary were already there. Sanders, of course, had been there for a while and tests were being made. Just after King arrived, they all rode on the elevator with Sanders as he was being taken up to the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital.
It was Thursday morning, January 3, 2002. Don Bell and Tim Bell were called in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They arrived about noon. King, Sean and Rosemary Murphey, Bob and June Knight, and Beth, wife of Charles Ed Williams were already there. Jimmy and Carline arrived shortly thereafter. Reverend Prater, Sander's minister at First Baptist Church in Inverness, arrived. Visiting times for family members in the ICU were 6 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m., and 9 p.m. At each of these times, two family members could go in and stay for 10 minutes.
After Sanders arrived at the Medical Center, no immediate surgery was done. Preliminary analysis was that, at his age, the surgery would be too risky and he might not survive. Sanders was connected to a respirator in ICU that was breathing for him (he had been on a respirator all day). About 9:30 p.m. that evening, Dr. Parent, a neurosurgeon came to the waiting room to talk with the family. He said that the brain was still active and that Sanders was not dead. The only course of action left to be done was to drill a hole and drain the mass of blood that was between the brain and cranium. The surgeon did not know if this would bring Sanders back to life, but this would be done if the family agreed that it be done. Family members asked the surgeon to do the surgery and drain the blood.
About 12:30 a.m. a surgeon came to talk to the family. The surgery had been done. A small circular part of the cranium had been removed and the blood mass below had been removed. The brain seemed to be moving back in to fill the space that had been occupied by the leaked blood. This was a positive sign. The cranium piece had been replaced and the head bandaged. Sanders was still on the respirator, but by 6 a.m. on Friday, January 4, his blood pressure seemed a little better.
During the next several days, Sanders seemed to improve. His blood pressure seemed better. Hospital staff began to feed him with a tube in his stomach. By Tuesday, Sanders began breathing some of the time. By Wednesday, January 9, he was breathing on his own about 95% of the time. He would breathe perhaps 28 breaths and the respirator would only be required to breathe 6 or 8 breaths for him. On Wednesday, a CT scan was done. This scan revealed extensive damage to the brain. The leaking blood had deprived oxygen to a large part of the brain. Sanders would not wake up. Doctors showed King and Rosemary that shining a light into the dilated pupil of his eye produced no response. Even a few drops of water on the eye produced no response. Much of the brain was not functioning. The mechanism that controlled the breathing that Sanders was doing was located deep in the brain and would be the last function to stop. Family members decided to slowly wean Sanders off the respirator, and move him into a private room where family members could be with him at all times. Sanders lived for 35-36 hours after he was taken off life support. By early Friday morning, January 11, Sanders temperature was 104.7 degrees and the mechanism of the brain that usually controlled this function was not responding. Throughout the early morning hours on Friday, Sanders would periodically vomit or attempt to vomit. He was given an injection to relieve the vomiting response. At 5:40 a.m. he stopped breathing. Nurses were immediately called. Sanders was checked and all vital signs had ceased. The family had already agreed that Sanders would be allowed to pass away on his own: his body would not be shocked to try to bring it back to life. Dr. Jason Tullis came and signed the death certificate. About 6:10, Don Bell and Tim Bell were called and told that their father had passed away. Both Don and Tim had already made arrangements to be off from work and had planned to go University Medical Center in Jackson to be with family members and to learn of any progress in their father's recovery.
Rosemary, and King remained at the medical center until after funeral home personnel had come to get the body. The body was taken to Mortimer Funeral Home in Indianola, Mississippi.
Don and Tim arrived at Sanders' home in Inverness about 4 p.m. People were already bringing food to the house and coming to see family members. On Saturday morning, all family members except Rosemary Murphey (Jimmy Bell, June and Bob Knight, King Bell, Don Bell, and Tim Bell, and Reverend Prater) met at 10:00 a.m. with funeral home personnel (Mr. Mortimer) at the funeral home in Indianola. Plans were made for newspaper obituaries, funeral plans, and a casket was chosen. Family members agreed to meet friends at the funeral home from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday evening. The casket would be closed and a photograph of him would be placed atop the casket. June Knight arranged for a florist to make a floral casket cover. The funeral would be a graveside service at Hickory Grove Cemetery just west of Inverness on Sunday afternoon, January 13 at 2:00 p.m. with Reverend Danny Prater officiating. Obituaries would appear in the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the Jackson Daily-Clarion Ledger, the Delta Democrat Times of Greenwood, and the Enterprise-Tocsin of Indianola.
On Saturday evening, immediate family members gathered at the funeral home between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. to be together and view the body before the casket was closed. That evening, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., many people came to the funeral home to offer encouragement and support to family members. For most of the two hours, the funeral home space was crowded with people.
On Sunday afternoon, about 1:40 p.m., Reverend Prater came to the house to have prayer with family members and then travel with them to the cemetery just down the street for the open-air graveside service. Many people--perhaps 150-200 people--attended the service at the cemetery.
At the funeral, the minister shared memories the children had of their father. Some were:
(a) he always helped me in any way that he could.
(b) Don Bell submitted the following memories:
(a) He loved my mother.
(b) He loved his children.
(c) He loved his relatives.
(d) He loved the Inverness Community.
(e) Would work nights and weekends to help those who needed dental care and were in pain or suffering.
(f) He loved his country and wanted his children to see and love it, too. He took his children on 2-week vacations during the 1950s to see Washington, D.C., New York, the Southwest, West Coast, Rocky Mountains, and Northwest United States.
(g) He loved God and allowed God's love to flow through him to others. He had a deep faith, respect, and love for God. To him, religious faith was very personal. He did not flaunt or talk about religion or his faith, but lived it and allowed God to love many people through him every day. He did not pray before others in public, but considered prayer a personal, private conversation with God.
(h) Was an example to his children, relatives, and community of how life should be lived: (a) Fidelity in marriage, (b) Love and respect for God, and (c) Love for family and community.
(i) He seemed to live by the contemporary religious phrase: What Would Jesus Do.
(j) Indications of his:
(i) Faith in God, love for God: He attended church and took his family, sang in the choir for many years, and was a deacon.
(ii) Love for country and community: Cared for town flags and raised and lowered town flags for 30 years.
(iii) Love for nature: He raised, fed, and cared for wildlife on the bayou within the city limits. Like St. Francis, he liked to feed birds and watch them.
(k) He was a Mason and member of the Scottish Rite.
(l) Served as an Honorary Colonel under Mississippi Governor Coleman.
(m) He worked hard to get an education. He believed in the value of education and saw that all of his children were educated.
(n) He was honest, kind, and compassionate.
(o) Mama called him 'San.' Mama and Daddy never stopped loving each other.
Rosemary Bell submitted a beautiful stitchery banner, sewn in 1984, in which she had stitched the following loving memories of her father:
Strength and Love. Planting and working in the yard. Helping me put the lights on the Christmas tree. Finding a few wise words for every situation. My very first shiny new bicycle. A pat on the back. Vacation trips. Making room on his lap. Going to see where he works and taking the mail in. Egg salad sandwiches when Mama was sick. Long rides on Sunday afternoons. Endless patience. Teaching me to work in the office. Parting the banana leaves. Working the crossword puzzle with me. Barbecuing for the 4th of July. My first new car. Feeding the ducks. My joy in pleasing him. I love you always. Sanders Bell, my Dad.
The obituary from the Memphis Commercial Appeal (with a minor correction), Sunday, January 13, 2002:
"Inverness -- Dr. Clifford Sanders Bell, 88, retired dental surgeon after 60 years, died Friday at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. today at Hickory Grove Cemetery. Mortimer Funeral Home in Indianola has charge. He was a deacon at Inverness First Baptist Church, a Mason and a member of the Inverness Lions Club and the Scottish Rite. Mr. Bell, the widower of Rubye King Bell, leaves two daughters, June Bell Knight of Greenwood and Rosemary Bell Murphey of Indianola, and four sons, Jimmy Lee Bell and Dr. Charlie King Bell of Inverness, and Don Carol Bell and William Timothy Bell, both of Tuscaloosa, Alabama; a sister, Alma Hart, and a brother, Leren Rowland Bell, Jr., both of Water Valley, 13 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren."
(Note: The only minor correction was that Charlie King Bell's name was listed twice in the original obituary.)
The obituary from the Indianola Enterprise-Tocsin, Thursday, January 17, 2002:
"Dr. Clifford Sanders Bell, 88, of Inverness died January 11, 2002 at University Medical Center in Jackson.
Graveside services were held Sunday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. at Hickory Grove Cemetery in Inverness. Dr. Danny Prater officiated. Mortimer Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Dr. Bell was born in Bryant. He was the widower of Rubye King Bell. He practiced dentistry in Inverness for over 60 years and was a member of the Inverness Baptist Church where he served as a deacon. He was also a member of the Inverness Lions Club, a Mason and a member of the Scottish Rite.
He is survived by his daughters, June Bell Knight of Greenwood and Rosemary Bell Murphey of Indianola; sons, Dr. King Bell and Jimmy Lee Bell, both of Inverness, Don Carol Bell and William Timothy Bell, both of Tuscaloosa, Alabama; sister, Alma Hart of Water Valley; brother, Leren Rowland Bell, Jr. of Water Valley; 13 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren."
The 13 grandchildren mentioned in the newspaper obituaries are:
1) Linda Lee Bell Weeks (b 1961), daughter of Jimmy Lee and Carline Bates Bell.
2) Sandra Carline Bell Steele (b 1964), daughter of Jimmy Lee and Carline Bates Bell.
3) Anne King Bell Gratz (b 1965), daughter of Jimmy Lee and Carline Bates Bell.
4) Beverly Bates Bell Quinn (b 1969), daughter of Jimmy Lee and Carline Bates Bell.
5) Will King Knight (b 1967), son of Robert Roy and June Bell Knight.
6) Stanton Ellett Knight (b 1970), son of Robert Roy and June Bell Knight.
7) Gencye Cameron Knight (b 1979), daughter of Robert Roy and June Bell Knight.
8) Bertram Bennett Bell (b 1971), son of Farilyn Bell and adopted son of Charlie King Bell.
9) Erin Philen Bell (b 1979), daughter of Charlie King and Farilyn Bell.
10) Louis Sanders Bell (b 1978), son of William Timothy and Jean Smylie Bell.
11) Jason Matthew Bell (b 1980), son of William Timothy and Jean Smylie Bell.
12) Jonathan Michael Bell (b 1977), son of Don Carol and Linda Sellers Bell.
13) Sydney Catherine Bell (b 1983), daughter of Don Carol and Linda Sellers Bell.
The 14 great grandchildren mentioned in the newspaper obituary are:
1) David Howard Weeks (b 1983?), son of Linda Lee Bell and David Weeks.
2) Christian Weeks (b 1988?), daughter of Linda Lee Bell and David Weeks.
3) Chelsea Weeks (b 1993?), daughter of Linda Lee Bell and David Weeks.
4) Catherine (Caty) Steele (b 1992?), daughter of Sandra Bell and Hunter Steele.
5) Hunt Steele, Jr. (b 1995?), son of Sandra Bell and Hunter Steele.
6) Savannah Gratz (b 1994?), daughter of Anne King Bell and Brett Gratz.
7) Madison Quinn (b 1996?), daughter of Beverly Bell and Jim Quinn.
8) Grayson Quinn (b 1998?), son of Beverly Bell and Jim Quinn.
9) Julia Virginia Knight (b 1996), daughter of Will King and Francis Knight.
10) Rebecca Eleanor (Ellie) Knight (b 2000), daughter of Will King and Francis Knight.
11) Theodore Robert Knight (b 1998), son of Stanton Ellett and Laura Knight.
12) Madeline Belle Knight (b 1998), daughter of Stanton Ellett and Laura Knight.
13) Harper Bennett Bell (b 2000), son of Bert Bennett and Aimee Harper Bell.
14) Aaron Michael Bell (b 2001), son of Jonathan Michael and Aimee Eldridge Bell.
Additional:
In 2006, the C. S. Bell Family home on Montgomery Drive was sold. During 2006 and 2007, the house was repaired and remodeled. By early 2008, the 50-year slate roof was removed and a new 50-year metal roof installed.
In 2007, the Bell Family donated Sanders Bell's dental office building to the Town of Inverness to be used for the benefit of the community. During late 2007 and early 2008, the building was renovated for use by the town's police department. At a ceremony on the afternoon of Friday, May 2, 2008 at 2:00 pm, the building was formally dedicated.
Happening at the Time: More than 500,000 people in the United States died due to the great Coronavirus-19 pandemic in 2021.