Died February 16, 2015,Sharpn, Connecticut
College: Saybrook
Widow: Linda D. Bell
POB 227
Norfolk, CT 06058-0227
fbbell@comcast.net
Children: Sam, 1969; Marian, 1972
BELL—Frank B, II, 75, of Norfolk, Connecticut, passed away on February 16, 2015. He was the loving husband to Linda DuPree Bell and devoted father to Sam DuPree Belland Marian Whieldon Bell. Frank spent his professional career in New York City as a Financial Consultant and Estate Planner. For an extended obituary, please visit www.kennyfuneralhomes .com.
Norfolk- Frank Bell died at Yale New Haven hospital on February 16th, surrounded by his loving family. He succumbed to Interstitial Lung Disease, which he had battled for two years.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1939 to Davitt and Marian Bell, Frank was the eldest son of four children. After attending Phillips Academy at Andover, he studied Mechanical Engineering at Yale University and eventually received his Masters in Business Administration from Harvard. He served six months in the Army and was subsequently a Reservist. Settling in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, he married Linda Herron DuPree in 1967, and his children Sam and Marian followed in 1969 and 1972.
The majority of Frank’s career was spent working for himself as a Financial Consultant and Estate Planner. In addition to his rich social life, he enjoyed running marathons, eating copious amounts of chocolate and his daily bike commute through Central Park. Later in his life, he periodically fished the East River.
In 1971 the Bells bought a weekend and summer house in Norfolk, Connecticut. Frank adored playing tennis and golf, and the family built many lasting friendships in the town. After purchasing a Doolittle Lake cabin in 1991, the Bells expanded it into a beautiful year-round home, to which they retired in 2004.
Surrounded by exquisite woods and overlooking the lake, the house was so remote as to unintentionally discourage some visitors. Frank doted on the local birds he fed, as well as other wildlife, most notably the famous Gertie the Grouse. If at all possible he indulged in crossword puzzles every day of his adult life, until his last.
Throughout his life Frank treasured his family’s fishing camp called Solid Comfort on the French River in northern Ontario, Canada. He made his final trip there eight months before his death, and was deeply gratified to introduce it to his grandson, Milo, which whom he shared a special bond.
Warm, wildly irreverent and charismatic, he socialized widely in Connecticut, New York and Canada. He was especially beloved by his nieces and nephews, along with assorted other young people, and relished his role as “Crazy Uncle Frank.”
In his last days, Frank cherished time with his family, and an outpouring of emails from friends and extended family. He was deeply moved to hear how profoundly he had touched so many people with his unique spirit and loving friendship. This clarified to him the value of his life and comforted him in his passing.
He is survived by his wife Linda, his children Sam and Marian, their spouses Celia and Nick, his grandchildren Milo and Benno Gilhool, and his sisters Margot Woodwell and Susan McIntosh.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, memorial contributions may be made to the the Norfolk Festival Shed Restoration project, or to the Norfolk Library. A memorial/celebration of his life is planned for the Spring in Norfolk.