Thomas Russell Bell, 87, died peacefully at home from heart failure on January 16, 2014. A longtime resident of San Gabriel, he was surrounded by his loving family at the time of his death. Born March 21, 1926 in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, Tom was the only child of Russell and Hazel Bell. 

Tom graduated from South Pasadena/San Marino High School and served in the U.S. Army in Germany as a member of the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) during the Nuremburg trials. After graduating in 1954 from the University of Southern California with a degree in Chemical Engineering, Tom joined Kaiser Steel before moving to Nalco Chemical Company as a water treatment specialist for many years. For the last 21 years of his career, he served as a Water Safety Engineer for the State of California Water Quality Control Board, retiring in 1993.

Tom is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Doreen, and his three children:  Jane (Mark) Lindsay, Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Sarah (Eric) VanDerHeyden, Tustin Ranch; David Bell, Pasadena; and his six beloved grandchildren, Annie, Matthew, and Catherine Lindsay, and Benjamin, Madelaine, and Jack VanDerHeyden.

Tom, a life-long Trojan, story teller, and a dog's best friend (especially Springer Spaniels), was a loving and caring husband, father, and grandfather, and will always be in our hearts.

Pasadena Star-News, January 21, 2014