Gregory Eldon Bell

On April 27, 1944, Gregory Eldon Bell was born to Doris Fleetwood Bell and Richard (“Dick”) Bell in Chariton County, Missouri. An Army brat, Greg moved with his parents across the country several times, living in Colorado Springs, Los Angeles, and Indiana. But home base was always Chariton County, where his mother’s family had a farm. When Greg was 11, his family welcomed his younger brother, Gordon.

Greg graduated from Northwestern High School in Mendon, Missouri, in 1961. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Missouri Valley College, then a master’s degree in physics from Central Missouri State University. During college, Greg met Karen Ritchey, whom he married in 1967. Soon after their marriage, he was drafted into the Army, and the couple spent the next few years at Fort Huachuca in Arizona.

Following his military service, the Bells moved to Sedalia, Missouri, where Greg became a “lifer” at State Fair Community College (SFCC) — working as a physics teacher, a soccer coach, and eventually a dean. Bright, kind, and sharply witty, Greg was a born teacher (even when it came to soccer, a sport he was wholly unfamiliar with prior to becoming a coach).

In the 1970s, Greg and Karen welcomed their children, Richard Scott (“Scott”) and Jennifer (“Jenny”). A devoted father, Greg coached Scott’s soccer teams, played endless games of catch with Jenny, provided his family with ongoing (and mostly unsolicited) lessons in the laws of physics, served as a passionate ringleader for raucous marathon Christmas Eve game nights, purposely and hilariously embarrassed both children on many occasions, and traveled thousands of miles visiting his kids in countless locations across the country. As grandfather to Gus and Hazel, Greg (a.k.a. “Paw Paw”) thrilled in taking the kids on tractor rides and exploring the side-by-side trails he’d blazed on his family’s Chariton County property.

Greg was an avid outdoorsman. He loved training hunting dogs and participating in (and helping manage) field trials and hunt tests; there was always at least one beloved golden retriever by his side. An avid fly fisherman, waterfowl and upland bird hunter, Louis L’Amour reader, oldies music listener, Kansas City Chiefs and Royals fan, and prankster, he rarely passed up a good story or a chance to make someone laugh. Greg loathed sweet potatoes, city driving, being late, and the Raiders, but he loved adventures and traveling “Out West.” For the last few years, he lived near his daughter and her family in Durango, Colorado — one of L’Amour’s favorite haunts. With family by his side, Greg passed away in Durango on May 13, 2026.

Greg was preceded in death by his son, Scott Bell; his parents, Doris and Dick Bell; his brother, Gordon Bell; and his former wife, Karen Ritchey Bell.

He is survived by his daughter, Jenny Bell Holmen; his son-in-law, Christian Holmen; his grandchildren, Gus and Hazel Holmen; and Scott’s wife, Tonya Bell. He is also survived by his nephew, Cody Bell, and his niece, Michelle Bell Wilson and her family, including her husband John Wilson and their children Catch and Vida.

Friends and family will gather at a later date to celebrate a life well lived; details will be shared when plans are finalized.