Mary Merlene Bell

September 16, 1920

April 25, 2013

Salado – Services for Mary Merlene Bell 92 will be at 2 p.m. April 30 at the First Presbyterian Church of Belton, with Rebecca Fox Nuelle officiating.  

A visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. on April 29, 2013 at the Broecker Funeral Home, Salado.

Merlene died April 25, 2013 at her home in Arlington, TX.  She was born September 16, 1920 in Picayune, Mississippi to Joseph and Sarah Cuccro.  The family moved to New Orleans when she was 6 where she grew up, attending McDonalds High School.  She worked along with a sister building cannon shells for the war effort. Merlene Howard Bell, a first lieutenant in the Army Air Corps on a blind date in New Orleans. Howard asked Merlene to wait for him and marry him after his tour of duty in the China-Burma-India theater in Burma. After a 30 month wait they married on February 28 1945 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Merlene was a housewife.  She lived in Dallas, Houston and New Orleans before retiring to Salado in 1985.

She was a volunteer at Scott and White Hospital, a member of the Eastern Star, Salado Historical Society, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.  

After declining health she and Howard moved to Garden Estates Senior Living in Temple, later moving to Arlington to be close to her youngest daughter, Chyrell.

She is preceded in deathby her mother, father, sisters, Earlene, Josephine, Anna and Anita and brother Michael.

She is survived by her husband, brothers Joseph Cuccio, Jr. and John Cuccio and  her two daughters, Chyrell Bell and husband Steven Ross and Carol Leatherwood and husband Bobby. She and Howard also have four grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the 1st Presbyterian Church in Belton.

Services in the care of Broecker Funeral Home, Salado.

For online condolences please go to obituaries at www.broeckerfuneralhome.com