Olive Mathews Bell – taught at a one-room country school

Olive Bell Mathews passed away in Santa Rosa on March 23, 2005.
She was the dearly beloved wife of the late Walter Bell. She is
survived by her daughter Kathy Clendenen, her husband John, and
grandchildren Ross and Betsy. Her grandchildren are the fifth
generation in the Dry Creek Valley. She is also survived by her
niece, KayLynn Quast and nephews Jim and Russell Mathews. Born and
raised in Fort Bragg, Olive grew up hearing the steam locomotive
pass over the trestle at her home in Pudding Creek. Her father
started the first trucking company on the Mendocino coast and her
mother instilled a strong set of virtues and values that she lived
by throughout her life. Olive attended San Jose State college and
became a teacher. She was fortunate to obtain employment, as it was
during the height of the Depression. She taught in the one room
Pena School in the upper Dry Creek Valley, and it was there that
she met her husband Walter, who was a farmer from a long
established Dry Creek family. Olive was an avid reader, an ardent
follower of politics, and most importantly, a skilled
conversationalist. She had a keen interest in the lives and
backgrounds of those around her and could recall detailed and
colorful histories of many generations. At her request, no formal
services will be held.