Bettendorf, IA—Sylvia D. Bellows, 74, of Bettendorf, IA, passed away Thursday, March 28, 2013. Her funeral will be at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, East Moline, IL. Bishop Alan Moose will officiate. Burial will be at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday in Funks Grove Cemetery, IL, near Bloomington, IL. Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m., Monday, April 1, 2013 at Runge Mortuary, 838 E Kimberly Rd., Davenport, IA. Memorials may be made to the Church. Online condolences may be expressed at www.therungemortuary.com. Sylvia was born on January 12, 1939, in Louisville, KY, the daughter of James Jonathan Dean, Jr. and Helen Wells Dean. She married Glen Lee Bellows on June 11, 1959 in Crescent Hill Methodist Church, Louisville, KY. Children surviving include: two sons, Kevin (Kathryn) Bellows, Summerfield, NC; Peter Bellows, Cedar Rapids, IA; two daughters, Shirley Craig, Bloomington, IL and Alice (Gordon) Dean, Meridian, ID. Twenty grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren also survive. Also surviving is her sister, Martha (Nicholas) Frantin, Stamford, CT.
Sylvia’s husband, daughter Anne Louise, father, mother, and sister Dorothy, preceded her in death. She was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served extensively in church service positions, including president of the women’s Relief Society, counselor in the Young Women’s organization, and seminary teacher. Mrs. Bellows grew up in Louisville, KY, the third of three daughters. She contracted polio in 1944 at the age of five, and was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Her courage, strength, faith and compassion in the face of difficult physical trials were an inspiration to many around her. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 1959 with a BS in psychology, as co-salutorian. She later returned to school at Illinois State University, earning a BS in Music with emphasis on vocal performance and music therapy. In addition to being a devoted wife and mother, she taught piano and vocal lessons to scores of students over a period of 25 years.
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