Alice Gertrude "Emmy" Bell-Lewis
Alice was the third child born to parents Thomas James Bell and Mary Hannah Blake. Her maternal grandparents were James Blake Sr. and Hannah Lee. James Sr. was 4 when he emigrated from Armgh, Ulster, Northern Ireland in 1829. Her grandmother, Hannah Lee was born to emigrants from County Cork, Southern Ireland and she was born in Streetsville neighborhood of Mississauga City, Toronto Twp., Peel County, Ontario, Canada.

Her grandparents met in East Huron County, Ontario, Canada and her mother was born in the Wiarton/Colpoy's Bay area of North Bruce (a peninsula stretching out into Lake Huron to divide Huron from the Georgian Bay),Ontario, Canada. Her grandmother Hannah Lee was buried there. Her grandfather, James Blake Sr. immigrated to Lopez Island in 1883. In 1887 he sent for her mother, Mary Hannah Blake, and some of his other 13 children.

Her parents had met on Lopez. After immigrating to Canada from Scotland, he met two of his future wife's half-brothers. Thomas George and Solomon Valentine Blake. They were Royal Canadian Mounties and stabled their horses in the stable where Thomas James worked in Toronto, Canada. They became great friends. After the two Blake brothers moved to Lopez Island, Washington USA Tom Bell came to visit them, thus meeting their younger half-sister Mary Hannah Blake. He got a job working in Port Angeles as a stewart and was married to Hannah Blake on December 25, 1896 on Lopez Island.

Thomas James Blake was man of small stature only 5'4"; but he was tall as a mountain due to his warmth, loving, kind ways. He loved children and saw the good in all people. Her father made friends everywhere he went and gained their respect. The little Scotchman was tireless and caring of his entire community. The local Preacher of their church had Sunday dinner with them quite often and he joined them on the many hikes that her father instigated. He, always with his tall walking stick and his soft brogue. Always active in local lodges, organizations and community activities. He became the Postmaster for Port Stanley, Lopez Island.

Alice was very close to her father. Possibly because she never married and she lived at home. Working side by side with her father helping him in the Post Office.

Alice was much like her father. The helping, caring person that enjoyed people and children especially. She never had any children of her own but she helped her siblings with they children. She was close to her sister, Margaret and often cared for her two small sons Howard T and Estell Browne. Later her youngest sister, Mary Louise Bell would marry. She and her husband Sherman Dee Reece would move into her father's home where Sherman could help her father as he was slowly in ill heath from on-going strokes. Alice became to fill-in mother to Louise's two children. First Herbert Dee Reece who was born in the front room of her father's home. And later his sister Mary Joanne Reece, raising her until Jr. High. Joanne would always feel Alice to be her mother. Thus the name "Dearest Emmy".

The story behind the nickname Emmy was that Alice felt she was homely. No one else noticed because it only took 5 minutes in her presents and you never notices if she was fair of face. She made a child's life a living fairy tail of love and companionship. She read to them and often the funny papers. In those day there was a comic strip of a tall, rangy, homely woman called Emmy with dark hair. Alice dubbed herself Emmy and it stuck. To Joanne, Emmy meant Mother.

Alice worked as a servant in homes on the mainland besides helping in the Post Office.

1940 and WWII. Jobs were in short supply and many moved to the mainland. her father needed medical care and they moved to board in Sedro Woolley. Alice came with them when her father sold his home at Port Stanley. She got a job working in the local laundry with her older sister Margaret. Sherman and Louise moved to Orcas but Louise just wasn't housewife or mother material. So Sherman came to Bellingham, Washington to work at the docks and he boarded his two children with their grandparents and Alice.

Herb hated living in Sedro Woolley and ran away constantly until he father let him stay in their cold water flat in Bellingham. It was late 1944 when Alice's parents and Joanne moved into a large old boarding house Sherman bought for the extended family. Alice lived there and had a room she shared with Joanne. The family of Thomas James Bell and son-in-law Sherman Reece were once again together.

Her father died in 1945 and was buried in Greenacres Memorial Park. Alice's mother Mary Hannah was showing her age and she wanted more peace than living with her daughter Louise could give. So Alice and her mother purchased a small home 4 blocks away at 1518 Iron St., Bellingham, Washington.

It was there that her mother finally passed on January 5, 1956. Alice, not wanting to be alone, married Desmond Lloyd Lewis.

It was not the best of choices but she said "you make your bed you lie in it!" She never complained but made the best of her life.

Des wanted a tavern and he tried that for awhile but Alice had to open and close for him, working long hours to find that her husband spent more time in front of the bar than behind it. It prospered for awhile because Alice won over the clientele. It failed and Des took a job working on a refrigerated tender in Alaska during fishing season. He wanted a farm and sold Alice's small home on Iron Street to buy a small piece of land in Lawrence off the Mt. Baker Highway near Nugents Corner. Alice never complained but now she was living in a block garage that they made into a small cabin. A stone fireplace for heat. She chopped wood, grew a garden for vegetables, took care of the live stock of beef cattle and pigs. Des would return in the Fall to sell the stock and retire to the tavern each day until it was time to buy calves at the auction and a sow with piglets on the way. Then leave for Alaska and Alice ran the farm and tended the livestock and garden until late fall.

Alice passed away at age 86. The joys in her life were summers when she cared for two of Herbs children for him; the visits from her older sister Margaret who was now a widow; and time with Joanne.

She died from being worn out with all the hard work she had done her entire life. She wanted to be cremated so that Des could not be buried beside her or put her in the graveyard out by the farm she hated. He dying wish was that her ashes be spread where no one knew. Joanne fulfilled her wishes as executor of her will. Making sure that the few family items she had been able to save were give to various members of the family. As a token and a way to remember her. Joanne purchased a memorial vase and had it place on Alice's father's grave. She so loved her father and here she would be remembered. Thus the vase with "Dearest Emmy".

She left behind a husband, no children but she continues to be in the loving memories of many of her family. Her ashes were spread under a huge Douglas Fir on a mountain side where she will have a constant view of the valley to the waters of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands where she grew up and was happy.