Community gathers to celebrate life of Les Bellah

KIRKLAND – As friends, family and colleagues sang Les Bellah’s favorite song, “God Bless the USA,” on Saturday, his grandchildren released 68 balloons, one for each year of the late village president’s life.

His wife of 48 years, Patsy, couldn’t help but find a deeper meaning when some of the balloons got stuck in the tree at Franklin Township Park, where more than 300 people celebrated Bellah’s life.

“I think it means that he’s still here. I guess he didn’t want to leave and miss the party,” she said.

It was not a typical memorial service, because Bellah was not a typical man.

Music performances included Kilbuck, the bluegrass band that used to feature Bellah on guitar. There were speeches, songs and food donated by family, friends and local businesses.

“It would be exactly the way he wanted it,” Bellah’s daughter, Shannon Lee, said. “He would have loved all of the laughs, stories, shared memories and jokes. We wanted to keep the event upbeat. He loved this park, he loved Kirkland, and he loved these people. All of these people, there’s more than 300 people here, are here because they knew him. He touched their lives.

“It’s overwhelming and means so much to us that they came to celebrate his life with us.”

Bellah, 68, died June 4 at OSF Saint Anthony’s Center for Cancer Care in Rockford, surrounded by family.

He served as Kirkland village president from 1997 to 2005 and from 2008 to 2017. He first entered local government in 1982 as a village trustee and was elected to the Kirkland Village Board in 1983.

Bellah led Kirkland through more than three decades, including helping the community recover from two devastating natural disasters: severe flooding in 1996 and the Fairdale tornado in 2015.

He is survived by his wife; his son, Scotty (Jamie) Bellah; and his daughter, Shannon (Brian) Lee. He also is survived by grandchildren Maddy Bellah, Naomi Franklin, Carter Lee and Lizzie Sechrest; his brother, Jerry Bellah; and honorary grandchildren Aubrey Lynn and Callie Joe Gabbard, Hailey Tomlinson and Trevor Williams.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Northern Illinois Veterans Memorial, which Bellah helped establish, and Safe Passage in DeKalb. A memorial scholarship fund will be created in Bellah’s name through Alpine Bank at a later date.

Patsy Bellah said having the community attend her husband’s celebration of life was humbling.

“He often said that he was humbled, and now I understand what that means,” she said. “Everyone pitched in, everyone came for him, for us. It’s hard to describe the amount of love I feel, being surrounded by everyone here. He would have loved this. Thank you.”