Bell, Kathleen Fields

Kathleen Fields Bell passed away peacefully at home on May 10, 2023, and is rejoicing in Heaven with her LORD and Savior.

Katie was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee to the late Harry Lee Fields, Jr. and Jean Wolfe Fields. She attended Girls Preparatory School and the University of Chattanooga and was presented at the 1967 Cotton Ball. While at the University Katie met the man who was to become her dearest love, best friend and hero, Burwell Baxter Bell, III (B. B.). They were married on March 29, 1969, and upon B. B.'s graduation and commissioning as a 2Lt in the United States Army they began an adventure of 39 years in America’s military that Katie could never have imagined.

Some highlights of that adventure began during their early assignment in Bad Hersfeld, Germany where their beloved son, Burwell Baxter Bell, IV (Buck), was born. Many tours followed to include places in Georgia (twice), Washington, D.C. (twice), Texas (twice), Kansas, Florida, Kentucky (three times) and New York City (an obvious favorite at the time) where B. B. served with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in Manhattan. During their 39 years of military service, Katie and B. B. spent 14 years deployed together in Europe and two and a half years together in South Korea. Katie helped move her family more than 30 times over their 39 years in the Army.

Like all military spouses, Katie was also separated from B. B. on countless occasions when he was either training, or deployed into combat theaters or short tour areas. During these frequent occasions, Katie was a master in providing continuity in her home, especially for her son. In becoming a single parent repeatedly, Katie showed a wonderful side of herself in that she was fully committed to her family and could take on any level of responsibility and excel.

While they were in Tampa, Florida with U.S. Central Command, B. B. served as the Executive Officer for General Norman Schwarzkopf and deployed to Desert Shield and Desert Storm with “Stormin’ Norman.” At the time, Buck was attending the University of South Florida where he met Jennifer Bortel Clayback. They were married in 1994.

Over the years, Katie developed a great love for Soldiers, their spouses and their families. She understood very well rank structure and protocols for military members, but she believed deeply that spouses had no rank. Katie felt that military spouses are so much more alike than they are different. They all love their military Servicemember and have great pride in him or her, no matter the rank. They all love and are protective of their children and recognize the special situation their military children share -- frequent moves, loss of good friendships, starting over in new schools with new rules and new teachers and the ritual of making new friends. Mothers and fathers and sometimes both concurrently deploy, and the fear and anxiety of the dangers Servicemembers face during deployments are shared by children and spouses alike.

Katie formed many military family resource groups to help families in crisis or facing challenges, whether their Soldiers were in garrison or deployed to combat. She took spouses’ concerns to Washington several times seeking and gaining solutions to wartime problems faced by all families. This spouse cohesiveness and advocacy for policy change was her legacy wherever the Bells lived.

In 2002 Katie and B. B. returned to Germany for a fourth time where B. B., as a Four Star General and Commander of the U.S Army in Europe, was engaged in the build-up and deployment of Soldiers from Europe to wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq. During this time, B. B. was responsible for manning the NATO Headquarters in Afghanistan as well as major ground force deployments to Iraq from bases in Germany and Italy. Throughout these tough war years, Katie led the effort to support military families all over Europe. Katie never got used to attending the many Memorial Services for Soldiers lost in combat.

The Bells' last assignment in the Army was to Korea from 2006 to 2008. Katie fell in love with the Korean people and their ancient, admirable, and family oriented culture. She developed many wonderful friendships that lasted throughout the rest of her life. And while she was in Korea, her son and daughter-in-law culminated a nearly yearlong adoption effort which resulted in their adopting Katie’s adored and only grandchild, Haley Jin-Hui Bell. Haley was and is the light of both Bell families’ lives.

In the summer of 2008 following B. B.’s service in Korea and subsequent retirement, the Bells moved to their home in Ooltewah and subsequently Chattanooga. During her husband’s military service, Katie received many military volunteer service awards, none more treasured than the Dr. Mary E. Walker Award. Dr. Walker’s (the only female civilian to receive America’s Medal of Honor) life of extraordinary service is superbly presented at the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center in downtown Chattanooga.

In 2009 Katie received a life-saving double lung transplant at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her lung transplant along with that of her son Buck’s lung transplant in 2010 made the two of them a rare occurrence in the world of lung transplantation.

Katie was a member of the Chief John Ross Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and a member of the National Advisory Board of the Military Child Education Coalition. She was also a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church and the Perseveres Sunday School Class. Throughout her extraordinarily rich and fulfilling life, Katie enjoyed traveling, reading, her Tennessee mountains, antiques, rummaging through flea markets with friends while stationed in Europe and spending time with her cherished husband and family.

Katie had many great memories of serving with her husband in the military, with one of her most remarkable being presented to Queen Elizabeth following B. B.’s service with General Schwarzkopf during Desert Storm. Katie was a staunch and dedicated Atlanta Braves baseball fan, rarely missing a broadcast game. Go Bravos!

Katie was preceded in death by her mother, Jean Wolfe Fields, her father, Harry Lee Fields, Jr., and her sister, Anne Fields Hart.

She is survived by her husband, retired Army General Burwell B. Bell III, son Buck Bell (Jennifer), granddaughter Haley Bell, brother Harry Lee Fields, III (Sara), brother Robert Markwood Fields (Kit), and several beloved nieces and nephews.

The Bell family will receive friends during a visitation at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga on Tuesday, May 16, from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. followed immediately with a Celebration of Life Service in the church sanctuary, with Pastors Render Caines and Eric Mullinax officiating. There will be a private family burial at the Chattanooga National Military Cemetery following the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made in Katie’s memory to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (to donate please click on URL https://www.cff.org/give-monthly ) or to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Lung Transplant Center (URL https://give.vanderbilthealth.org/give/246900/#!/donation/checkout). General (Retired) Bell sincerely thanks both Hearth Hospice and Ardent Senior Care for their compassionate in-home assistance during Katie's time of passage to be with Jesus.

Please share your thoughts and memories at www.ChattanoogaEastBrainerdChapel.com.

Arrangements are by Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory & Florist – East Brainerd Chapel.