Alan Robert Bell

Alan Robert Bell died on November 17, 2015 in Spokane, Washington at the age of 72 of acute intestinal complications. He is survived by his mother Barbara Vogt Mallery of Santa Fe, New Mexico, his brother Bruce G. Bell of Bangkok, Thailand, and his sister Catherine X. Bell of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Alan was born in Pasadena, California on September 4, 1943, the first child of Lawrance Frye Bell and Barbara Vogt. He was raised mostly in Palo Alto, California where his father taught Industrial Engineering at Stanford University and his mother managed a family business manufacturing bulletin boards and ran a lively and loving home.

Alan was precocious as a child. At age two and a half he said, "A braid is whirly-gig of whiskers" and at age three, "When you tell a secret it becomes a surprise." He suffered physical frailties such as blindness in one eye and asthma, but was an active, curious, and creative youngster with zest for life and love of nature and science. Alan participated in Boy Scouts of America. With the rest of his family he was in the first party to establish the wilderness camp, Camp Unalayee, in 1960 in the Trinity Alps in Northern California.

Alan kept many exotic pets, including a rattlesnake, and studied herpetology. He also became an expert on the evergreen trees of the Pacific Coast and had an extensive collection of cones and needles. Alan graduated from Cubberly High School in Palo Alto where he was in the glee club, math club, and science clubs. He taught himself to play guitar and piano and was a good musician. He was an accomplished craftsman who learned from his parents how to design and fabricate many useful objects and devices.

Alan attended Stanford University, majoring in biology, and completed three years of study before being struck by schizophrenia. Despite extensive medical intervention, Alan's struggle with mental illness persisted throughout the rest of his life.

Alan was a strong civil rights and peace activist. He participated in the Selma to Montgomery Marches in 1965 protesting racial segregation. Alan lived for a while at Tolstoy Farm, a cooperative farm in Davenport, Washington. He later roamed about before going to Spokane in the 1970s where he spent the remainder of his life immersed in his devout religious faith and in warm relationships with many kind members of the community. Alan was a member of the Catholic parish of Saint Joseph in Spokane.

Alan was noted for his loving, friendly, and innocent nature. He was never known to criticize others or to complain despite the difficulties he faced in life. His sweet smile and good humor will be missed by all who knew him. God bless Alan, may he rest in peace.