Heart Seeds

Ray Bell Groveville History 2

6/June/2024

FATHER’S DAY

Good Morning. I would like to thank you all for attending the Father’s Day Service. I will start this message off with some information that you may not know about. 

On June 9, 1910, in Spokane, Washington, Father’s Day was proposed by Sonora SmartDobb. Her father, a Civil War veteran, William Jackson,Smart, was a single parent who raised six children. In 1922 Dodd stopped promoting Father’s Day because it faded away. A bill was introduced in Congress in 1933 to make Father’s Day official, but Congress resisted. In 1953 (a woman) Margaret Chase Smith, Senator from Maine, wrote a letter, accusing Congress for ignoring the father‘s for 40 years. In 1966 president Lyndon B. Johnson was the first president to honor the father’s. Six years later, President Richard M. Nixon made Father’s Day permanent as a national holiday on the 3rd Sunday in June. He signed it into law on April 24, 1972. 

I know every child thinks their father was the best. My father Ray M. Bell was born in Wrightsville, PA, outside of Lancaster County on October 11, 1896. Growing up, he went to a trade school in Lancaster to become a bricklayer. After graduating, he came to Yardville to work for a contractor, then drafted in the United States Army. He was a CPL, Company F, 5th Engineers, in World War I. He married R Hazel West. She was raised in Yardville on Church Street and RT 25, now called Route 156. They had five children, four girls and me. Growing up, he taught me how to play ball, the brick laying trade, and later how to be a man and husband. My father was a very kind and caring person. If he knew anyone who needed help, he was always there. One day I asked him why he did those things, and he said as long as he was able, he would help anybody. 

I can remember a widowed mother with five young children who needed a new chimney in North Crosswicks, but had very little money. My father went to her house and built her a new chimney. We had a young married minister here who was always late for meetings. My father asked him why he was late . He said because he had no watch. My father brought him one and he was never late again. He did so many things for people. 

He was also a very good ball player and played with Georgie‘s grandfather George Borden. He was one of the founders of Babe Ruth baseball, a member of Groveville Fire Company, a member of Groveville United Methodist Church, superintendent of Sunday School, member of Masonic Lodge in Bordentown, and many more. I hope someday I will be as good as a father as he was. On June 13, 1972, at the age of 75, he went home to be our Lord. 

Thank you, Dad for being my father and teaching me to do the right things in life. Happy Father’s Day in heaven, and I hope to see you someday. 

Love, your son, Ray. 

I believe we all will see our fathers in heaven someday I’m very thankful for being a father to three children, five grandchildren (one adopted) and a great grandfather to twin boys. That’s four generations. The flowers today are from the men’s club and I will be giving Them to Reverend Scott Clifton Sr. because he and his wife raised three sons and three daughters. Thank you for being our Pastor. In closing, I would like to say we all have the greatest father of them all. He is in Heaven, our Lord.

Thank you, and God Bless all fathers and you.