Thomas Monroe Bell, Sr.

He is preceded in death by his mother, Mary Dyer, his father, Clyde Bell, and his sister, Sarah Kersey. He is survived by his wife of 32 years, DeLaine Bell; his four daughters, Davina Studley, Chasa Roydes, Jackie Craig and Hannah Walker; his son, Monroe Bell; his four grandsons, Dakota Roydes, Gabriel Roydes, Owen Walker and Thomas Walker; his sister, Mickey Smith; and his brother, Russell Bell. He will also be missed by many more family members and friends.

He will be remembered for his affable personality, his witty sense of humor and his ministry work, specifically for handing out countless copies of the “Our Daily Bread” devotional booklets to both friends and strangers alike.

After growing up on a small family farm in Conyers, Ga., his family would move to West End, Atlanta, Ga., in the mid 1950s. He would call the Atlanta area home for the remainder of his life.

He left school during his 10th grade year and began working for Western Union, delivering telegrams by bicycle until he was drafted into military service in 1968 during the height of the conflict in Vietnam. He served in the United States Army for one tour from 1968 to 1969, or, “14 months and seven days,” as he would often state.

During his time in combat, he was wounded multiple times and received the Purple Heart Medal for the injuries he sustained.

Once he returned home from Vietnam, he spent several years living within the hippie community, where he found acceptance and a place to call home.

After several poor life decisions and legal troubles, he would serve time in prison in the early 1980s, where, on Feb. 5, 1982, an event would occur that he would say caused him to, “stop existing and start living.”

On that day he would confess his faith in Jesus Christ and that decision would change his life forevermore.

Although the change was gradual and the road was paved with many bumps, he would emerge from prison a few years later and would marry his wife, DeLaine, shortly afterward in 1986.

The two of them began attending Metro Heights Church in Stockbridge, Ga., in the mid 1990s, and this is where his faith began to become deeply rooted and unshakable.

No matter where he attended church, he always found a way to serve others and engage in ministry as an usher, Celebrate Recovery leader, mentor and servant leader.

He was not a vocal leader who sought acclaim from serving in the spotlight, but instead chose to mostly work quietly in the background to ensure that everyone’s needs were met, including faithfully praying for people, privately mentoring new believers and making phone calls to regularly check in with people.

The two ministries that he will be remembered for the most are handing out “Our Daily Bread” devotionals and for being an integral part of the Celebrate Recovery ministry.

He first began handing out the daily devotionals after taking several free copies from a local church that gave them out, realizing that not many copies were being taken. He would eventually contact the devotional’s distributor, RBC Ministries, to ask for more copies to hand out, and they would grant that request monthly, sending him between 100 and 200 booklets.

The exact number of devotionals that he handed out is unknown, but the best estimate would be that “Mr. Daily Bread,” or “the Daily Bread Man,” as he was affectionately nicknamed, handed out between 30,000 and 50,000 over the last two decades.

As a leader with Celebrate Recovery, he served as a small group leader and as a sponsor for many people, using his past mistakes and battles with drugs and alcohol to help others find sobriety and freedom from addictions, hurts and hang ups.

In addition to his ministry work and being a pillar within his church, he also served the community by helping build and maintain multiple athletic fields in the city of Stockbridge, often doing the work voluntarily.

He coached softball, baseball and football and was often involved with his children’s extracurricular activities, even chaperoning church-related and school-related trips.

His jokes and proverbs were well-known by all who had the pleasure of encountering him, creating his own brand of storytelling, often times laughing harder at his own jokes as he told them than the people who were listening to them.

He had a warm, infectious personality and never met a stranger. Because he knew how Christ had transformed his troubled past, he always remained hopeful and positive that anyone could change and create for themselves a new and better life in Jesus.

Reminding people to always, “stay in the word,” and to “trust in God,” he constantly encouraged others to follow Jesus and to remain focused on Him.

The legacy that he leaves behind is one of compassion and thoughtfulness, one that begins with a handshake, hug or smile. A legacy that never ends, but is instead passed along every time someone shares one of his jokes, and each time someone chooses kindness and love, rather than resentment or hate.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, Dec. 29, at Haisten Funeral Home in McDonough, Ga. at 2 p.m., with a time for visitation beginning at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family asks that you consider making a donation online to RBC Ministries’ Our Daily Bread Ministry by visiting www.ourdailybread.org/donate.