Kenneth Lee Bell

Kenneth Lee Bell, 85, passed away peacefully while surrounded by his family on Saturday evening June 22, 2024 at his Stow Creek Township home after a brief illness.

He was born in Shiloh (and very proud of it) on January 28, 1939 on the Tomlinson farm, less than a mile from his current home. The son of the late Russell H. Sr. and Mildred Tomlinson Bell, he was the husband, for the past 9 years, to Janice Richman Bell.

A resident at his current address for six years, he formerly resided in Greenwich.

Ken graduated from Bridgeton High School with the Class of 1957 and received his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Mars Hill College in North Carolina. His career of 25 years as a music teacher began in the Bridgeton Elementary School System, then Lower Alloways Creek Township School, and finally Alloway Township School before retiring in 1993.

Following retirement, Ken established Cedar Knoll Baskets where he spent 25 years harvesting trees from his 23-acre tree farm and turning them into beautiful and functional wooden baskets in his basket shop. He and his first wife, Patricia Robinson Bell, who died in 2014, worked together on their family tree farm, where they were both certified tree farmers and held memberships in the NJ Forestry Association, the NJ Tree Farm System, and the NJ Stewardship Forest Program. Ken was named New Jersey Tree Farmer of the year in 2009.

In 2015, Janice and her "Kenny" were married and lived a life of love, laughter, and adventure. They shared many memorable excursions, whether they were riding the auto-train to Florida or camping in their camper trailer at their numerous favorite destinations. A vacation wasn't complete without Kenny and Janice taking a nice long ride on their trikes, always exploring and "soaking up" the beauty of nature around them. Janice always enjoyed her Kenny's story-telling, as he would reminisce about all the good times with family and friends, and together they would share all the hilarious antics from their teaching days at L.A.C. School.

Ken enjoyed hunting and fishing and was a member of the Quinton Sportsman's Club. He shared the love of hunting and fishing with his son, Steve. They enjoyed over 50 years of rabbit, squirrel, pheasant, and quail hunting, shooting sporting clays, and all sorts of freshwater fishing and surf fishing.

Music was also one of Ken's greatest passions. In addition to teaching music to school children, Ken was a performer, most notably as a singer, guitar player, and washtub bassist. He performed as a father-daughter duo with Linda Jean for over 40 years, as a member of the George Fox Five through the 80's and 90's, and for the past decade he performed with his sister, Bev, and his daughter, Linda Jean, as The Bell Family Singers.

Ken was a very knowledgeable and successful organic vegetable gardener for over 60 years. He also raised sheep and pigs, and always kept a nice little flock of chickens. Ken cared for the woods of his Greenwich and then his Stow Creek properties as if they were national parks, clearing access trails just wide enough for his tractor, while also creating the best possible environment for all the plants and animals. Following each winter's first good snowstorm, Ken would invite the family over for an exhilarating good time of sledding down one of his sledding trails in the woods.

Ken was a member of the Quaker Meeting, Religious Society of Friends in Greenwich and he formerly served as the manager of the Quaker Meeting Cemetery. He was a proud life member of the NRA.

In addition to his wife Janice, he is survived by one son Steven W. Bell and his wife Kim of Crossville, TN, one daughter, Linda Jean Bell and her husband Chuck Vertolli of East Vineland, two grandsons, Adam Lee Skirvin and John Russell Skirvin, two step-daughters, Julie Thomas (Tim) of Pennsville and Joy Buoncuore (Tom Adler) of Columbia Falls, Maine, one step-son, John Buoncuore (Samantha) of Lower Alloways Creek and four step-grandchildren, CJ Baxter, Ben and Ellie Wentzell and Ava Buoncuore.

He is survived by his aunt, Maryann Lebold (Dale) of Hopewell, two sisters, Barbara Vinzinski (Steve) of Millville and Bev Bell (Pete Milenkovich) of Hopewell Township and one brother, Russell H. Bell Jr. (Dee) of Millville. In addition, he is survived by his nephew Brian, wife Cindy, and their children Cristian and Brandon, and his niece Sue, husband Jeremy, and their children Erin and Ty.

UPDATE: Due to anticipated extreme heat and humidity, there has been a change of location and time for the service. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial service at the Seventh Day Baptist Church of Shiloh, 116 East Avenue in Shiloh, on Saturday morning, July 6th at 10 o'clock. Please feel free to dress in casual summer attire.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Mr. Bell's memory may be given to the NJ Fish and Wildlife: Wildlife Supporter Program; the Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music, Wilmington, DE; or Seventh Day Baptist Church of Shiloh, C/O Steve Moncrief, 385 Jericho Road, Bridgeton NJ, 08302; Greenwich Friends Meeting, PO Box 18, Greenwich, NJ 08323.