George Eugene Bell

`George Eugene “Sonny” “Hambone” Bell 94, of Salem, passed away peacefully at Salem North Healthcare Center on June 5, 2022.

He was born in Lisbon on May 10, 1928,  the son of the late Chester Raymond and Gladys (Willis) Bell.

George attended Salem Fourth Street School. At the age of nine he won a marble tournament where the medal can be found at the Salem Historical Society Museum. In 1945 at the age of 15, he began working for the E.W. Bliss which is now Butech. He became a tool grinder, retired in 1975, and later worked at Sekley Tool and Die. George built his own home and loved working in his workshop making lawn ornaments, banks, and toys for kids. He delighted showing kids how to put pennies in the banks, operate his climbing bears and play with the hillbilly billfold. He also loved to poke bellies, give hugs to everyone he knew and pinch everyone he loved. During retirement he kept busy. He began painting on canvas using house paint as a medium. His garage walls became his art gallery where he proudly gave visitors tours. He made ornaments using beads and wove afghans he gave to newlyweds. The newspaper crossword was a daily pastime he shared with his wife. Each new word he encountered was recorded alphabetically in stacks of steno notebooks. In later years he occupied his time with number books. George was always cold and enjoyed spending over 20 years wintering in Florida.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Helen Louise (Scott) Bell, whom he married on June 10, 1956; two sons, Chester (Linda) Bell of Lancaster, Ohio and Glen (Carolyn) Bell of Lake Wales, Florida; a daughter Marjorie (Paul) Richards of Buxton, Maine; seven grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, a sister Shirley Westphal, and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by three brothers: Merle, Earl and Joseph Bell; and six sisters: Betty Huston, Dolores Bell, Anna Louise Wilson, Vivian Gorby, Leota Marie Bell and Sandra Finch.

Services will be held on Saturday, June 11, 2022, 2 Pm at the Arbaugh-Pearce-Greenisen & Sons Funeral and Cremation Services, Salem. A time of visitation will be on Saturday from noon to 2 PM. The burial will follow in Grove Hill Cemetery in Hanoverton.

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