Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington

From the

Official News Magazine of the Diocese of Spokane

(From the Sept. 29, 2005 edition of the Inland Register)

Providence Sister Anne Kovis died Sept. 13 at Mount St. Joseph, Spokane. She had been a member of her Religious community for 68 of her 87 years.

The vigil was Sept. 15 at Mount St. Joseph, where the funeral Mass was celebrated the next day. Burial was at Holy Cross Cemetery, Spokane.

She was born in Trident, Mont. After the death of her mother, she and her siblings were placed in St. Thomas Home in Great Falls, Mont., an orphanage staffed by the Sisters of Providence.

She entered the Providence novitiate in 1937, the year after graduating from high school at St. Thomas. She professed final vows in 1941.

Sister Anne earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the College (now University) of Great Falls in 1951 and a master’s degree in religion from the University of Notre Dame in 1959.

Her ministry assignments included teaching at a number of schools in Montana, Illinois, and Idaho, and in the Spokane Diocese at St. Joseph Academy, Sprague, and DeSales High School, Walla Walla.

She retired to Mount St. Joseph in 1995.

Memorial donations may be sent to: Sisters of Providence, Office of Development, 9 E. 9th Ave., Spokane, WA 99202-1209.

Anna Bell, mother of Father Joe Bell, pastor of St. Peter Parish in Spokane, died Sept. 17. She was 86.

The funeral Mass was celebrated Sept. 23 at Holy Family Church, Kirkland, Wash. Burial was at Gethsemane Cemetery, Federal Way.

She was born in Harrisburg, Pa., and graduated from high school there in 1937. She went to work for the FBI in Washington, D.C., and in 1942, married Oscar Bell.

They moved to Spokane in 1954, and returned to the West side in 1966.

She was a member of St. John the Baptist Parish, Covington, at the time of her death.

Her husband preceded her in death.

She is survived by her children, Joyce (Bill) Towne, Father Joseph Bell, Kathy (John) Young, Darlene (Rick) Graf, Cynthia (Craig) Riebow, and Theresa (Edlito) Reyes., as well as 15 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, one great great grandson, three brothers, and seven sisters.