Obituary of Anita Bella
Anita Marie Bella passed away in her sleep on May 10, 2026, leaving behind a legacy as vibrant as her watercolors and a family who will forever miss her sharp mind.
Born in Rosetown, Saskatchewan, in 1928, Anita was the eldest of seven surviving children born to Katharina (Zacharias) and Jakob Epp, who had emigrated from Ukraine only five years prior. In 1953, Anita married George Bella in Kindersley, and together they built a life in Melville, having three children together – Kathryn in 1953, Elaine in 1957 and David in 1959.
Her life was defined by a deep love of art and learning, and she shared those gifts with everyone around her. After attending Normal School in Saskatoon, she spent over three decades teaching. Whether in classrooms or later leading children’s art classes, Anita remained a dedicated educator throughout her life. She could recount stories from the 1930s with cinematic detail and recite poems learned in her youth without missing a stanza.
A prolific artist and patron of the arts, Anita was a charter member of the Melville Arts Council and served as its president for many years. She also belonged to the Melville Art Club. Many people enjoyed her annual Christmas poem and card, naturally a limited-edition print of one of her artworks. Her Red Ball series of paintings toured the province in the early 1990s, and she continued to refine her talent well into retirement by taking university-level art classes for years.
Too modest to call herself a fashion icon, she nonetheless proved the point in 2018 by mounting a full fashion show for her 90th birthday, featuring pieces from her own extensive archives. Not everyone can turn a milestone birthday into a runway event, but Anita was never especially interested in doing things the ordinary way.
Anita’s energy was boundless. She was a fixture in the Melville Figure Skating Club while her daughters were growing up, a long-time honorary member of the Beta Sigma Phi sorority, the United Church choir and United Church Women, and the Saskatchewan Senior Fitness Association. In retirement, Anita and George traveled the country as a formidable duo competing in Senior Fitness games at the local, provincial and national levels. Her decades of service were recognized with the Commemorative Medal for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002 and the Saskatchewan Volunteers Medal in 2007.
While she was a formidable force in the community, she was also a devoted and active grandmother who never missed a chance to celebrate her grandchildren’s achievements travelling across the province for piano, dance skating and rodeo events.
Anita was predeceased by her husband, George (2019); her daughter, Kathryn (1991); her son-in-law, Werner (2018); her brother, Alfred (2020); and a sister in infancy.
She is survived by her daughter, Elaine; her son, David; and her grandchildren, Jennifer Block, Sarah Block, Tyson (Rae) Willick, and Jessica Willick. She was a proud great-grandmother to Katie and narrowly missed the arrival of her second great-grandchild, Annie. She is also survived by three sisters, two brothers, and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends who will miss her stories and her humour.
Anita was a woman who remembered everything and is worth remembering.
The Funeral Service will be held from the First United Church in Melville on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.
