Catherine Bell Wright Lerner

Catherine Bell Wright Lerner (age 98) died on May 23, 2014. A lifelong resident of Upper Napa Valley, she was born in San Francisco and brought home to the Bell Ranch off Crystal Springs Road in St. Helena when she was three weeks old. She was the only child of Evelyn Bell Wright who was born at the Bell Ranch, and William Abourn Wright, a native of England.

Catherine grew up at the Bell Ranch which her grandparents, Charles and Catherine Jane Bell, covered wagon pioneers from Connecticut, h ad bought the year before St. Helena Hospital was started. That small Bell Ranch Valley now holds water for the City of St. Helena.

She was a graduate of Crystal Springs, a one room grammar school where her aunt, Lillian Bell Miller was teaching at the time. In earlier years an uncle and her mother had also taught there. Catherine was a 1933 graduate of Calistoga High School. Years later she attended Santa Rosa J.C., Napa College and Pacific Union College.

Sher married her high school sweetheart Fred Lerner and they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary almost a year before his death in 1996. They had lived happily in the home they helped build which overlooked their beloved Napa Valley from Calistoga's hillside.

Through the years, Catherine was active in community service: Calistoga's Red Cross, 4 H Club, Creative Living, soup kitchen, telephoning the homebound, city politics and OLPH Church.

After her daughters were grown, she was a reporter, photographer and feature writer for the Weekly Calistogan and the Santa Rosa Press Democrat until she retired.

She was predeceased by her loving husband Fred, daughter and son in law, L'Vere & Mario Sereni Jr., and great grandson Leland Sereni.

She is survived by her two daughters and their husbands: Evelyn and Ed Scherrer of Healdsburg and Linda and Bob Shaw of Alamo. Also surviving are five grandschildren: Robert and Richard Sereni and their wives of Calistoga, Fred Scherrer and his wife of Sebastapol, Louise Scherrer of Healdsburg, and Alison Shaw of Calistoga. Four great grandchildren: Bobby and Shelbi Sereni of Calistoga, Rachel and Ryan Scherrer of Sebastopol.

Private graveside services were held at the Bell family plot in the St. Helena Public Cemetery. A Memorial mass is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28 at 2:00 p.m. at OLPH Church. In lieu of flowers the family requests donation to EWTN, 5817 Old Leeds Rd., Irondale, AL 35210; CCCAT, 1132 Denise Drive, Calistoga; or Sharpsteen Museum, 1311 Washington Street, Calistoga.