Jean Bell

BELL, Jean Gould

August 16, 1942 – July 18, 2024

On July 18, 2024, Jean Gould Bell, beloved wife of Victor A. Bell Jr., passed to her eternal home after a prolonged battle with Alzheimer's Disease. Born on August 16, 1942, in Evanston, IL, Jean was the only child of Douglas and Eleanor Gould. A year later, the family moved to Waukegan, IL, where Jean grew up and her parents opened Gould's Home Bakery.

Jean graduated from Waukegan Township High School in 1960 and earned her BA in English in 1964 from Longwood State Teacher's College in Farmville, VA (now Longwood University). In the summer of 1964, while visiting her Longwood roommate in Smithfield VA, she met Vic, the love of her life. They were married on June 12, 1965, and enjoyed 59 years of a loving, active and exciting partnership.

From 1965 to 1967, Jean taught junior high English in Charlottesville while Vic pursued his MBA at the University of Virginia. Shortly after graduating, Vic reported for active duty in the US Army to fulfill his ROTC commitment, and they then relocated to Washington, D.C., where Vic was stationed in the Pentagon. Jean worked as Director of Publications for the Society of American Florists from 1967 to 1970, and they welcomed their two daughters, Ashley, and Darden, in 1970 and 1971.

Jean was active in her community, and her leadership skills were recognized by her colleagues as she served in various leadership roles, including as President of the McLean Junior Women's Club, as a founding member of the Board of Directors of Reading Is Fundamental of Northern VA, and serving a term as a Vestry member at St. Peters Episcopal Church in Arlington. She also became an active member of the Junior League of Washington and served terms on the Board and also as Director of their Education Council. In the 1980's she was invited to become a member of the Capital Speakers Club, a private organization of about 60 women, including a number of ambassadorial and congressional wives, who had a need to frequently speak in public, and was also elected by her classmates to serve a term as President of her class.

Jean had a keen interest in art, and took a number of courses in Art History, Decorative Arts, and Arts Management. She volunteered as a docent at the National Gallery of Art as well as the National Museum of Women in the Arts and served as Chair of the docents at both institutions.

In 1989, Jean and Vic moved to Atlanta. Not long thereafter and despite having no experience in retail, Jean was invited to interview for a job with The Container Store which was planning a 1990 opening of their first location outside of Texas. She was hired as the manager of the new store growing it to sixty employees before retiring in 1998. During that time, she was actively engaged at Peachtree Presbyterian Church, serving as co-President of their Sunday School class, President of her Women's Circle, being elected to a term on the Session, and participating in several women's Bible studies. Jean also co-chaired the inaugural "The Gift Goes On" auction, raising over $225,000.

Jean and Vic loved to travel and beginning in the mid-2000s, they participated in a number of mission activities with Peachtree Presbyterian Church, traveling internationally to China, Costa Rica, Israel, Malawi, Kenya, and Greece. The couple also loved traveling for pleasure; Jean had visited forty-five of the fifty states and over thirty countries across six continents before it became too difficult to for her to travel.

In 2016, Jean and Vic moved to The Landings in Savannah, GA. As a result of Jean's Alzheimer's diagnosis, the couple agreed that they would have as much fun as they could, travel as long as they could and just enjoy life as long as they could. Jean's positive attitude, strong work ethic, her "can-do" and cheery disposition and her love for her family and community were evident throughout her life. Known as "Gigi" to her grandchildren, she was a supportive and loving presence, and will be sorely missed by all.

Jean is survived by her husband Vic; daughters, Ashley Bell Smith (Shannon) and Darden Bell (Arjun); and five grandchildren, Connor, Addy, and Caroline Smith, and Ashwini and Anjali Ramchandran. Burial will be in the Bell family plot in Old St. Luke's Memorial Garden in Benn's Church, VA. A Celebration of Life service will be held in Savannah at a later date. The family requests that any expressions of sympathy be directed to the Legacy Fund of Skidaway Community Church, 50 Diamond Causeway, Savannah, GA 31411.