Dear Editor,
Lonnie Bell will be dearly missed. I’m writing this to thank Ed McIntosh for the wonderful tribute he orchestrated on his Lonnie Bell Show, Sunday morning (Nov. 13) from 8am to noon on 790 KGHL radio.
My husband Arvid taped the Lonnie Bell show on Sunday mornings for many years so that he could give the tapes to his brother Maynard, who listened to them in his semi as he traveled around the country. One year Maynard needed springs in his semi, so he came to D&H Spring here in Billings. The manager noticed he was from Minnesota and asked how he knew about D&H. Maynard replied, “I listen to Lonnie Bell!” The manager wanted to know how he could do that outside the Billings area, and Maynard told him about the tapes. (No such thing as an app back then.) With that, the manager called Lonnie; soon Arvid, Maynard and I were having coffee with Lonnie at the Kit Kat Café! Maynard had been in the Air Force, and Lonnie in the Navy; oh, the stories! I learned so much about the military! After that Maynard called Lonnie almost every year on his birthday, and Lonnie always remembered “that trucker from Minnesota.”
Fast forward to eight years ago when my husband was in the Advanced Card Hospital, on a ventilator, and not expected to live too many more months. (He had ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and actually lived three more years.) But, thinking Arvid wouldn’t live much longer, Maynard and his son came to visit. Maynard called Lonnie and asked if he would have some time to visit Arvid; and he did! He spent a couple hours with us on a Saturday morning. Well, Maynard knew many of Lonnie’s stories from listening to the tapes. He and Lonnie fed off each other telling Lonnie’s stories. Nurses stopped by to listen, too. It was a grand time! Lots of laughter and lots of warmth.
Now back to Ed McIntosh’s tribute. Oh, the people who called with Lonnie stories! Musicians whom he promoted, people who rode in the March of Dimes horseback ride… So many touching stories. And the favorite music of Lonnie and his listeners. I hope the show got taped. I was so busy reminiscing and enjoying the show that I didn’t think to tape it. It was truly a show for the ages, just like Lonnie Bell was a man for the ages!
Thank you, Ed and KGHL and all the people who called into the show that morning!
Ekkie Wedul
Billings
