Kathleen Bell Kuper

Kathleen Bell was born on August 18, 1936, to Clark and Helen Bell and spent her childhood in Troy, Idaho. She was the oldest daughter and helped look after her surviving younger sisters, Myrna Jolly and Gloria Tew.

Kathleen married Donald Graham Kuper on December 24, 1954, in front of a sparkling Christmas tree, which was appropriate considering her love for the Christmas holiday. Kathleen and Donald had five children: daughter Denett Jones, and sons Jeff, Greg, Brad and Stan Kuper; seven grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. Kathleen lived in multiple cities and states in her life, including Idaho, California, Oklahoma, Ohio and Texas, ultimately retiring in Plano, Texas, where she lived for 29 years before moving to Ardmore, Oklahoma upon her husband’s passing.

Kathleen was a devoted mother and dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, where she served in various roles including Sunday School teacher and Primary teacher. Kathleen was a seamstress and enjoyed honing her skills at sewing clothing and designing draperies. Her eye for design and color carried through to her hobby of jewelry design, where her knowledge of gemstones of all types, shapes, and quality transformed those stones into beautiful jewelry. Christmas was Kathleen’s favorite holiday, where the family home was transformed by setting up the Christmas tree, making candy and decorating Christmas cookies, all while holiday music played in the background. These activities created a lasting tradition for the family. Kathleen was small in stature but large in personality. She could always be counted on to offer her comically cantankerous take on the world with statements that would leave everyone laughing and repeating those same words years later. Her character and behavior were greatly influenced by being raised as a child of schoolteachers during the Great Depression. Kathleen was very caring and loving towards her family and friends and would always be there to give a word of support or solace when needed.

Kathleen was preceded in death by her son Bradley and her husband, Donald. She will be missed dearly by all who knew and loved her.

A graveside service is being planned for Windell Cemetery located in Windell, Idaho. She will be buried next to her husband, Donald G. Kuper, and her son, Brad Kuper.