Thomas Shell

Tom Shell and I grew up at the keyboards of my grandmother Jeannie Gail Ashby, our first piano teacher, and his auntie, Anne Shell Mahoney, who taught music to every Wallowa Public School child in grades One through 12 for decades. Tom´s Auntie Anne, his mother Marianne a beautiful red-haired Georgia girl, my mother Gilda Davidson and grandmother Jeannie Ashby all played bridge together once a week all fall and winter-until tolerable weather lured Gilda out to the golf course (she was club...

I was just cleaning up my far too cluttered Outlook Inbox, and came across emails from the great Tom Shell. He sent them shortly before his death, and he pressed incredibly warm wishes to my wife and I for the birth of our daughter in January 2017. I am so glad I have his emails. Tom Shell was an absolutely fantastic person. Super warm, and that was on display at the dozens and dozens of meals we shared together at the original Blu Jam Cafe on Melrose. Tom Shell's spirit is immortal there. I...

It's nearly a year since Tom Shell made his transition. I haven't seen or talked to Tom in too many years but I know that we always had a deep heartfulness of love & respect for each other. One time he decided to have a voice lesson with me and insisted on paying me for it even though I said it was a gift. After his check went through the bank and was cashed, I happened to look at it and discovered that he had made it out to Florence Henderson, who he was friends with and had worked with! I...

It's nearly a year since Tom Shell made his transition. I haven't seen or talked to Tom and many years but I know that we always had a deep heartfulness of love for each other. When he decided to have a voice lesson with me and insisted on paying me for it. After it went through the bank and was cashed, I happened to look at the check and he had made it out to Florence Henderson, who he was friends with and had worked with! I called him immediately and we had a great laugh about that. For...

We all adored Tom. In recent years communication stalled because of a misunderstanding. We thought of him with much love and respect. We miss you, Tom, and know you are reunited with your loving parents and cousin Cornell Bretz. Hugs to Tom's cousin Jane and partner and friends.

Tom Shell...many childhood memories of Wallowa County and piano lessons! Even in grade school Tom and Steve Crow were the cheerleaders for those of us who struggled through our practices and lessons. Even though I was from Joseph and Tom from Wallowa the bond of our being the same age made us great buddies. His quick wit and sincerity played out in his musical talent. I am blessed to have known Tom and to have shared in his earthly time.

Deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Tom Shell. We studied with the same piano teacher in Enterprise, near his hometown of Wallowa, OR. He was always an exceptional musician and I remember visiting him in Paris while he was studying with Boulanger and living at the Cite Universite. He cautioned me to speak French when I appeared at the front desk -- staff spoke fluent English, but refused to speak English unless spoken to in French first (it was 1971). I remember being delighted when...