Matthew Bell entered eternal peace and rest with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on September 21, 2026. The funeral service will be held on Monday, September 28, 2026, at 11:00am at Ankeny Funeral Home and Crematory. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service from 10:00am to 11:00am at Ankeny Funeral Home and Crematory.
Matthew was born on October 12, 1970, and he was raised in Ankeny, Iowa, where he attended school K-12th grade. He graduated from Ankeny High School in May 1989.
In June 1994, Matthew met Rachel Metzner in Fort Collins, Colorado. They returned to Iowa, where Matthew earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Northern Iowa in 1998. He married Rachel in 1996. Together, they were blessed with two children, Anna and Noah.
Matthew began his teaching career with the Glenwood Community School District, where he taught from 1999 to 2005. He was especially proud when Anna was born in 2000 and again when Noah was born in 2002. In 2006, the family moved to Indianola, and Matthew began teaching at Clarke Community Schools, where he remained from 2006 through 2025. In the fall of 2026, he began a new chapter teaching with the Fort Dodge Community School District.
Teaching was much more than a career for Matthew—it was a way to make a difference in the lives of young people. Throughout his years in education, he touched the lives of countless students and colleagues. He also coached Anna and Noah's teams and coached several track and volleyball teams at Clarke Community Schools.
Matthew was fiercely loyal to his family and friends and treasured every opportunity to spend time with them. He had an eclectic love of music and could talk at length about virtually any genre. He especially enjoyed seeing live bands, whether they played music he already knew or introduced him to something new. One of his greatest joys was watching both of his children participate in instrumental and vocal music.
Sports were an important part of Matthew's life from his youth through adulthood. He enjoyed golfing and bowling and was a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan. He rarely missed a Packers game and could recall key plays from memory whenever the subject came up. His competitive spirit also came out on the golf course, particularly during the annual Bell family reunion and golf tournament at Camp Okoboji.
The Bell family reunion was a highlight of Matthew's summers. He looked forward to spending the week in the cabins with his parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, and extended family. Golf, card games, campfires, good food, and long conversations created memories that the family treasured for years. Matthew especially enjoyed the friendly competition of trying to out-perform his brothers, father, and nephews on the links.
Matthew loved history and enjoyed watching the History Channel and Jeopardy!. He also enjoyed talking politics and, most of all, spending time with the people he loved.
Matthew was forever changed in June 2025 when his beloved son, Noah, was involved in a catastrophic vehicle collision. Matthew's greatest pride and joy was watching his children grow into kind, intelligent, and talented adults, and his love for his children remained deep and unwavering.
Matthew was preceded in death by his beloved son, Noah; his paternal grandparents, Al and Rhea Bell; and his maternal grandparents, John and Evelyn Houston.
He is survived by his daughter, Anna Bell, parents, William (Allen) and Elsie Bell; sisters Deborah (Ron) Hartmann and Cathy (John) Kunisch; brothers Al (Sheila) Bell and Christopher (Staci) Bell; former spouse, Rachel Bell; 14 nieces and nephews; nine grandnieces and grandnephews; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, former students, and colleagues who were blessed to know him.
Matthew loved deeply, and he was deeply loved in return. His kindness, loyalty, humor, competitive spirit, love of learning, and devotion to his family will remain in the hearts of all who knew him.
We will miss him until the day we are reunited in our Father's house.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Clarke High School Athletic Booster Club.
