Eloise Bollenbach Bellmon, former Oklahoma governor's wife, dies at age 83

Eloise Bollenbach Bellmon, of Kingfisher, Okla., described by family and friends as a woman whose heart and actions were directed toward helping others

KINGFISHER — Eloise Bollenbach Bellmon, described by family and friends as a woman whose heart and actions were directed toward helping others, died Sunday at her Kingfisher home after a lengthy illness. She was 83. Laura Eloise Morsman was born Dec. 4, 1927, in Kingfisher, to Dorman and Laura Morsman, and graduated from Kingfisher High School with the class of 1945. She started dating Irvin Bollenbach upon his return from World War II when she was 18 and a senior in high school. They married Feb. 3, 1946. Irvin Bollenbach died in September 1997. They had two sons, Scott and Barry Bollenbach. Together Irvin and Eloise Bollenbach founded and developed the Kingfisher airport in 1945, from which they operated a ground school, offered flight instruction, trained military personnel, provided charter service, and helped farmers with aerial spraying. They expanded their interests to include farming and ranching. She loved entertaining guests both in her Kingfisher home and at their Paradise Valley Ranch west of Hennessey. Eloise also loved playing hostess to the many businessmen, actors, and singers that came from near and far to the annual Grand National Quail Hunt. "In addition to her fun-loving and spirited personality, she became known for her famous homemade banana cakes she would religiously make every year for the guests visiting their ranch during the Grand National Quail Hunt," granddaughter Laura Moore said. Eloise later became the Sigma Nu House Mother at Oklahoma State University, a role she enjoyed from August 1999 until May 2002 while her three youngest grandchildren were attending school at OSU. "This assignment was a perfect adventure for Grandma as it nicely combined her love for sports and the innate motherly instinct she felt toward all the men in her life," Moore said. "Mom B, as she was fondly referred to, loved giving her boys advice on their love life and teaching them how to dance and play cards." At Stillwater, longtime friend and former Oklahoma Gov. Henry Bellmon started dating Eloise. "It was really sweet watching Grandma act like a schoolgirl again as she would prepare for her dates with Henry," Moore said. Henry Bellmon and Eloise were married in April 2002. Henry Bellmon died September 29, 2009. "She loved her wife, mother, and grandmother roles, all of which she served well with all her heart," Moore said. Eloise is preceded in death by her husbands, former rancher and aviator Irvin K. Bollenbach and former Oklahoma Gov. and U.S. Sen. Henry Bellmon, her granddaughter, Melissa Bollenbach, and her brother, Dorman Morsman and his wife, Marjorie. Eloise is survived by two sons and their wives, A. Scott and Barbara Bollenbach and Barry and Joyce Bollenbach, of Kingfisher; five grandchildren, Laura Moore and her husband, Rob, of Edmond; Angela Swienton and her husband, Stephen, of Fort Worth; Austin Bollenbach and his wife, Stephanie, of Oklahoma City; Tammy Bollenbach, of Oklahoma City and Kurt Bollenbach and his wife, Brooke, of Kingfisher; and six great-grandchildren, Ashlyn and Andrew Moore, Thomas and Alex Swienton, and Brittan and Barron Bollenbach; three stepdaughters, Pat Hoerth, of Billings, Gail Wynne and her husband, John, of Enid, and Ann McFerron, of Billings; four step-grandchildren, Brok McFerron, Ben McFerron and his wife, Abby, and Elliott Wynne and his wife, Kristina, all of Denver, and Will Copeland, of Los Angeles; brother-in-law George Bellmon, of Enid; and many nieces, nephews and loving friends. A memorial service is at 3 p.m., Feb. 13 at Federated Church, 400 W Fay, Kingfisher.
(The Daily Oklahoman, Feb. 7, 2011)