Barbara Bell Gundersen

Barbara Bell Gundersen, 63, passed away peacefully February 7, 2017. A lifetime Duluthian, Barb was born March 23rd, 1953 to Thomas Graham and Elinor Spicer Bell. She attended Shattuck/St. Mary’s in Faribault, MN where she was captain of her Wooden Soldiers drill team before graduating in 1971. She went on to attend UMD and Duluth Business University where she graduated in 1974. That same year, Barb married William C. Gundersen.

From 1974 to 1998, she worked at Bell Brothers/Jarvi-Dowd Funeral Home as office manager and pre-arrangement counselor alongside her brothers Tom, Frank and Charlie. She later worked as office manager at Spectrum Research and in the Human Resources Department at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Barb was a member of Junior Achievement in the 1990’s and played a key role supporting her brother Charlie in his first campaign for Mayor. She was active in her children’s school and extracurricular activities, coached youth baseball and basketball, participated in PTA and planned numerous holiday and community events. She enjoyed attending bible study and the 8am Sunday service at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

Supporting family and friends was the focus of Barb’s life. She encouraged her children to dream, work hard, and follow their passions in life. She loved and supported her 14 nieces and nephews as if they were her own. “Auntie Barb” was always there to listen, provide advice and give reassurance that everything would be okay. She embraced family, friends and often strangers in need of support, guidance and compassion. Even in her final years, despite her own battle with cancer, Barb devoted herself to supporting others wherever she could. Her kindness, selflessness and love for those around her made her family very proud.

Barb is survived by her former husband and friend Bill; daughter Jennifer E. (Andrew) Shabaz of Wilmette, IL.; son William Parker (Kiki Yue) Gundersen of Singapore; her 5 grandchildren: Madeline, Alexander and Ramsen Shabaz, and William and George Gundersen; sister Kate B. Johnson of Sleepy Hollow, IL; brothers Thomas G. (Micki) Bell III and Frank S. Bell of Duluth, and Stephen P. Bell of Denver, CO; and all of her nieces and nephews. She was proceeded in death by both parents and brother Charles M. Bell.

Barb passed away surrounded by love. She will be greeted in heaven by those she had helped and comforted in their last days. Her memory and her spirit will live on in those of us whose lives she touched.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be made in the form of a donation to either St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Solvay Hospice House, or St. Luke’s Hospice.

Visitation: 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Thursday February 9, 2017 at Jarvi Dowd Funeral Home, 925 East 4th street, Duluth. The visitation will continue from 10:00 until the 11:00 a.m. funeral service Friday, February 10, 2017 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1710 E Superior Street, Duluth. Inurnment will be in Forest Hill Cemetery. Please leave a memory of Barb or words of support for the family at www.bellbrothersjarvidowd.com .