Wallace A. Bell

San Diego (Paradise Hills), Calif. – June 15, 2024 – Pastor Wallace “Wally” A. Bell of Oceanside, Calif., died June 1. He was 91. A public memorial service will be held at the Puritan Reformed Presbyterian Church (PRPC, previously the Puritan Evangelical Church of America) where Bell served as minister for 33 years from 1966 to 1999, at 6374 Potomac Street in San Diego on Saturday, June 22, at 10 a.m. All are welcome to attend; a live video webcast of the service also will be available on the church’s website at puritanchurch.com. A private graveside service will be held later that day at Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside.

Bell’s wife, Catherine “Kay” (Morrow) Bell, who served with him during his entire ministry died in 2012. He is survived by his son, Dr. Paul Bell, DDS, daughter Sharon Bell Kunkle, daughter-in-law Jennifer Lynn Bell, M.Ed., and son-in-law Greg Kunkle, M.A. HR; grandchildren, Tabitha Kay Bell, MSW, Dr. Hannah Bell Rebernick, Ph.D, and her husband, Ryan Rebernick, Evan James Bell Kunkle, and Caitlin Nair, M.Ed., and her husband, Raj Nair; and great grand children, Ezekiel Nair, Levi Nair, and Judah Wallace Nair.

Born January 24, 1933, in Belfast, Ireland, Bell was discovered while sharing the gospel as a lay speaker for a youth evangelism event and immediately sponsored and sent in 1958 to train for the ministry at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago where he earned his degree in pastoral care. Originally ordained in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and first installed as a pastor in Bend, Ore., he was again discovered while teaching at one of the denomination’s summer family camps by a OPC search committee member in attendance who invited him to candidate. Bell was soon called and installed as OPC’s (Paradise Hills) next minister.

Raised originally Methodist in Belfast by his parents, Wallace Alfred Bell and Jane (Redpath) Bell, he attended Methody College in Ireland majoring in accounting. Bell also was formally trained in piano and voice at the London School of Music. Around the age of eight, he won the British Isles singing competition. He began serving large youth evangelism outreach events playing piano. While he came to the conviction and practice of acapella psalmody with church worship at PECA, he still taught private piano lessons.

Bell had been brought to the emergency room June 1 to address some symptoms likely related to the cancer he had endured for several years. Nearly about to leave for home, he asked the nurse for a glass of water. When the nurse returned, he had already died.

“Dad was discharged from ER straight into heaven,” said his son, Paul Bell. Pastor Bell had asked for these personal words to be shared at the service: “Praise the Sovereign God of Sovereign Grace!”

In lieu of flowers, people are asked to send donations in honor of Wallace A. Bell to the Memorial Fund of the Trinitarian Bible Society (see tbsbibles.org). Bell was a staunch defender of the King James Version of the Bible and the Greek Textus Receptus.