Joseph P. Bellman, South Bend

Published 9:07 am Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Feb. 22, 1949 — Jan. 7, 2017

Joseph Paul Bellman, 67, went to be with the Lord at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, surrounded by his loving family.
Joe was born Feb. 22, 1949, the son of the late Rev. Jesse and Nettie (Rouch) Bellman.
On Sept. 29, 2001, in South Bend, Indiana, he married Brenda (Harris) Yoder.
He is survived by his loving wife, Brenda; six children, Jeff (Renee) Bellman of Bloomfield, Indiana, Julie (Kevin) Dolen of Indianapolis, Joe (Jayme) Bellman of Bloomfield, Jeannie (Carl Clinger) Bellman of Morgantown, West Virginia, Sharon (Randy) Lemert of North Liberty, Indiana, and Adam (Christina) Yoder of Parma, Ohio; and 17 grandchildren, Joelle, Jillian, Jesse, Jenna, Janessa, Kylene, Katie, Jacob, Ashlynn, Eric, Eivin, Liam, Kaylee, Rachel, Bryce, Luke and Ezekiel. He is also survived by five siblings, Isabelle VanAken of Sturgis, Rosalie (John) Kurtz of Coldwater, Jim (Cherie) Bellman of Bremen, Indiana, Joyce Bellman-Scott of Mishawaka, Indiana, and Mark (Janet) Bellman of Bremen.

Joseph Bellman

Joe received his bachelor’s degree from Bethel College and his master and doctorate degrees in education from Indiana University.
He was an elementary school teacher in Niles before he served as principal at Walt Disney Elementary School in Mishawaka, and later at Hamilton Heights in Cicero, Indiana. He then became general manager of Bellman Oil Company, which he retired from in June 2015.
He was a devout Christian and faithfully attended Bremen Missionary Church, Coulter’s Chapel and the Vineyard Church. His hobbies included woodworking, bowling, softball, umpiring, golf and fishing, especially his annual fly-in fishing trip to Canada. He will be remembered for his sense of humor, gentle spirit, generosity and strength of character. He loved all God’s creations and was a loving husband, father and grandfather.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, 2017, at Bremen Missionary Church, 2958 Elm Road, Bremen. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017, at the church, with an hour of visitation prior. Burial will follow in Bremen Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the Joseph P. Bellman Education Fund, which may be made at any Teachers Credit Union or mailed to 1501 N. Oak Drive, Plymouth, IN 46563. Online condolences may be sent to the family at mishlerfuneralhomes.com.