Gerald A. Bell

He was born in Keene, NH, August 15, 1932, the son of Antonio and Maude (Robbins) Bell.

On October 25, 1952, he married Shirley Anne Brayman in St. Bernard Church, Keene.

He was inducted into the Army on January 13, 1953 and served during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged from active duty on December 21, 1954 and transferred into the Army reserves where he served until March of 1961.

A longtime resident of Swanzey, he established GA Bell – Septic Company which he operated for over fifty years. He was a 62 year member of the Swanzey Center Fire Department serving as Captain of the Center Company for over 30 years. Mr. Bell was also a part-time police officer with the Swanzey Police Department for 24 years.

He was a member of the John A High American Legion Post 84 of Swanzey and the Gordon Bissell American Legion Post 4 of Keene.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Shirley A. Bell; his children, Keith A. Bell and his wife, Donna; Kevin A. Bell and his wife, Patricia, Karen A. “Rosie” Bell; two grandchildren, Taylor A. Bell and Chelsea A. Bell, all of Swanzey; two step-grandchildren, Jason A. Blake and his wife, Angela, of Swanzey, and Amy Blake of Keene; two step-great-grandchildren, Connor Blake and Hailey Blake of Swanzey; a special member of the family, Stephen Getty of Swanzey; a brother, Carl E. Bell of Swanzey; sisters-in-law, Barbara Spiess, of Swanzey and Tiny (Bishop) Turner of Keene; and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. He was predeceased by a brother, Francis Bishop.

A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Monday, May 11th at 9:30AM, in St. Bernard Church, 185 Main Street, Keene. Burial with military honors will follow in the Mountain View Cemetery, Old Homestead Avenue, Swanzey. Family and friends are invited to call on Sunday from 4:00PM to 7:00PM at the Monadnock Covenant Church, 90 Base Hill Road, Keene, NH.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Mr. Bell’s memory to the Swanzey Fire Department, PO Box 10009, Swanzey, NH 03446.

The Foley Funeral Home, 49 Court Street, Keene, NH is assisting the family with the arrangements.