|
Thomas
Graham Bell
JACKSON, N.Y. -- Thomas Graham Bell, 78, of Jackson, passed away peacefully Friday afternoon, May 3, 2013, at Indian River Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Granville.
Born Dec. 11, 1934, in Cambridge, N.Y., he is the son of James and Mary (McWhorter) Bell.
Tom was a 1952 graduate of Cambridge Central School and attended Clarkson University. While in high school, he played baseball and was on the championship team.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed on Staten Island, as Tom would say, “protecting New York City.” He was very proud of his country and displayed the American flag with great pride.
Tom’s career began in the banking industry, where he worked for Cambridge Valley National Bank and continued when the bank merged with Glens Falls National Bank. Tom was the vice president and manager of the Cambridge branch. He retired in December 1993 after 34 years of loyal service to the bank.
Tom was a member of First United Presbyterian Church of Salem, for which he had served as treasurer for many years. He was a founding member of Cambridge Valley Rescue Squad and was the first president to serve three terms. He was also an EMT with the rescue squad. Tom was a member of the New York Forest Owners Association (NYFOA).
Tom loved gardening. His interest in the outdoors led him, with his family, to the creation and management of White Creek Tree Farm in Salem. He spent many hours planting, pruning and maintaining trails throughout the acreage.
Tom was a lifelong hunter and fisherman. He enjoyed kayaking and skiing, which he did until recent years. Tom loved to restore furniture and was proud to have restored an antique canoe.
In addition to his parents, Tom was also predeceased by his first wife, Sondra Budge Bell, in 1973.
Tom is survived by his wife of 34 years, Marie Thieleke Bell, whom he married Dec. 15, 1978; his children, Melissa Bell and her companion, Joe Neale, of Clifton Park and Jonathan Bell and his fiancee, Shannon Baraclough, of Tampa, Fla. He is also survived by his step-children, Cheri MacDonald and her husband, John, of Melrose, Mass., Georgia Buck and her husband, Mark Richardson, of Jamaica Plain, Mass., Heather Barber and her husband, Charles, of Fayetteville, N.Y., Bradley Buck of New York City and Jeffrey Buck and his wife, Jennifer, of Roswell, Ga. Tom is also survived by a sister, Joan Marden, and her husband, William, of Keeseville, N.Y., and a brother, John Bell, and his wife, Marylou, of Austin, Texas; two grandchildren, Michael Bell and Nathan Bell; nine step-grandchildren, Bradley MacDonald and his wife, Erin, Ryan MacDonald, Taylor MacDonald, Megan Richardson, Ross, Colin and Kyle Barber, and Bradley and Scott Buck.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. July 6, 2013, at First United Presbyterian Church of Salem, 13 W. Broadway, Salem.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of Tom can be made to Cambridge Valley Rescue Squad, 37 Gilbert St., Cambridge, NY 12816, or First United Presbyterian Church of Salem, P.O. Box 606, Salem, NY 12865.
To share a memory of Tom, please visit www.mcclellangariepy.com
Tom’s funeral arrangements are with the McClellan-Gariepy Funeral Home Inc., 19 E. Broadway, Salem, N.Y.
|
|