If added together, the memories of those honored with a new memorial bench at Mt. Odin Golf Course in Greensburg would be countless.

The bench bears the names of Russell and Dorothy Bell, Patrick “Roo-Loo” Cribbs and Donald “Moe” Hoyle, all of whom became staples at the Greensburg facility after they spent hours at the course for work or to play a round of golf with friends.

Family members gathered in front of Hole 17, overlooking the rolling hills of Mt. Odin, Monday morning for an unveiling of the bench, which was the brainchild of Tom Bell, son of Russell and Dorothy Bell. Tom Bell is the superintendent of streets for Greensburg’s public works department and the fire chief.

“I’ve wanted to do something for a long time in memory of my folks,” said Bell, who said his father died in 2019 and his mother in 2010. “That’s how it first started, because my dad was a very important part of Mt. Odin … and I wanted to make sure his memory lived on.”

Russell Bell spent 40 years working as the superintendent of the golf course, guiding its expansion from nine to 18 holes and maintaining the greens. After living and raising a family in a home built on the course with his wife, Dorothy, Russell Bell announced his retirement in 1998.

At the time of his retirement, Tom Bell decided to fill the position, which he held for 20 years before leaving to become the city’s director of public works in 2016. During his time on the course, he would often stop and speak with Donald Hoyle, who would spend time relaxing in the park.

According to his son Rick Hoyle, Donald as a young boy in the 1940s spent years doing caddie work and enjoying time with his father. By the late 1990s, Donald became a park ranger, patrolling the golf course to ensure everybody had paid to play.

After that, Donald Hoyle would spend several weekdays at Mt. Odin, where he would sit in his car reading the newspaper and talking to golfers.

“The tranquility of the park up here, he just loved it — and I’m sure it was because of the memories it presented to him,” said Rick Hoyle, 67, of Greensburg.

Donald Hoyle died in 2016.

Rick Hoyle added: “When Tommy approached me that he was going to do this and memorialize his parents, he offered me an opportunity to memorialize my dad, and it was just a great thing. I’m so grateful that he came up with the idea and (included) my father with him.”

Patrick Cribbs, who died in November, also spent hours at the golf course maintaining the sprinkler systems for the greens, doing various maintenance projects and playing rounds with a group of friends. Cribbs also worked as an electrician for the City of Greensburg.

“He loved it here and made a lot of friends and had a lot of good times,” said his wife, Deborah. “Loved golf. This really was where he loved to golf, Mt. Odin.”

Deborah Cribbs, 68, attended the unveiling event with her two daughters, Michele, 33, and Nicole, 34. All three live in Greensburg.

“It’s meaningful because a lot of his friends are still living that come up here,” said Michele Cribbs. “I think it’s a nice way that they honor him and still feel like he’s part of their group.”

Tom Bell noted the placement of the bench also has its own story for each person memorialized there. He said his dad helped to build Hole 17, which his mother disliked “because she couldn’t hit the ball over the trees.” Patrick Cribbs also had a good game up until that hole, and Donald Hoyle would sit behind the hole enjoying the day.

Now, Tom Bell is hopeful the bench will be something meaningful for the golf course that is there for years to come.

“(There are) a lot of city ties with these people, and I just thought what a better way to honor my mother and father and the two guys,” Tom Bell said. “They all had real input in my life.”

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