Sella Mae Bales

Sella Mae (Carmack) Bales was born June 10, 1937, in St. Louis, the first of three daughters to George F. and Berniece (Creech) Carmack.

Sella passed away on Monday, November 18, 2019 at Phelps Health Hospital in Rolla.

She was married to James Monroe Bales in Crocker on November 13, 1960. They were blessed with one daughter and three sons. Jim preceded her in death on February 24, 2004.

Sella was a 1955 graduate of Crocker High School and a member of the Hancock Christian Church in Dixon. She was employed as an Switch Board Operator in Waynesville and Crocker as a younger woman and served as the Chief Deputy Clerk at the Waynesville Circuit Clerk Office. Sella was a strong willed woman and faithful to God and to her church where she was active and played the piano. After her husband, Jim, passed Sella made it her life to keep the family together with much success. She will be missed greatly by her family and friends.

Sella is survived by: one daughter, Cyndi (Bales) Wray of Dixon; three sons, Steven Bales of Dixon, Christopher Bales of Dixon, and Teddy Bales and his wife Joyce of Dixon; six grandchildren, Jerry Wray and his wife Stephanie, Jodi (Wray) Kissinger and her husband Keith, Jennifer (Wray) Tallison, Tylor Bales and his wife Alissa, Keaton Bales, and Mataya Bales; 10 great grandchildren, Alisa Wray, Kalvin Wray, Emmett Wray, Lincoln Wray, Mattie Kissinger, Jenna Kissinger, Cody Tallison, Kelcy Tallison, Emberleigh Bales, Daxton Bales, and one great grandchild on the way; three step grandchildren, Lucretia (Smith) Wethington and her husband Shawn, James Smith, and Brent Smith and his wife Brittany; ten step great-great grandchildren, Desiree Kissinger, Hayden Wolf, Noah Wolf, Dylan Wethington, Tanner Wethington, Addilynn Wethington, Kynell-Rae Smith, Wyatt Smith, Clara Smith, and Tyler Rosemann; and one brother-in-law, John D. Engels as well as many extended family members and friends.

In addition to her husband of 44 years, Sella was preceded in death by: one granddaughter, Jessica Lynn Wray in 1980, her mother in 1991, her father in 2004, two sisters, Joyce (Carmack) Engels in 2016 and Beverly Kaye Carmack in 2016, and a great-granddaughter, Jessika Wray in 2016.      

Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 24, 2019 at the Hancock Christian Church in Hancock, Missouri. A private family graveside service will be held at a later date.  

The family of Sella requests that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Hancock Christian Church