Maxine Bell

Maxine Correll Bell

Maxine Correll Bell was born in Santa Maria, CA on Christmas Day and passed away in Carmel, CA just shy of her 91st birthday.

Maxine was the daughter of Helen and Jimmy Correll and grew up within a pioneer family extending from Orcutt to Cambria. After graduating Santa Maria High School she attended Knapp College of Nursing in Santa Barbara. While a student nurse at Cottage Hospital, she met Cal Poly SLO engineering student Bruce Bell. They married and had two daughters, Julie and Lynn, which eventually resulted in two grandsons, the true highlights of her life.

Maxine's nursing career included the Visiting Nurse Service of northern Santa Barbara County, the Santa Barbara Visiting Nurse Association, Marian Medical Center, Santa Barbara Urban Indian Health Project, Casa Dorinda and Val Verde. She carried fond memories of traveling throughout the County as a visiting nurse. Her volunteer service included the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and the Santa Barbara Zoo where she enjoyed interacting with children at the elephant enclosure.

Maxine was often on the go and did not give a second thought to driving to LA for a day trip or up to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit her grandsons. Farther afield, her journeys included travel throughout North and South America, Europe, Iceland, and even a visit to St. Petersburg, Russia.

In addition to travel, her legacy to her family includes a love of books, theater, museums, music and Disneyland. Equal to the arts was her love of watching sports both in-person and televised. Favorite teams were the Oakland Raiders, Oakland A's, LA Dodgers, LA Lakers, and a late-in-life interest in the NHL courtesy of a grandson and son-in-law.

Maxine had many wonderful friends and adventures in Santa Barbara where she lived almost 40 years before relocating to the Monterey Peninsula to be closer to her family.

After such a busy life, the cruelty of dementia was heartbreaking to witness. However, in the end Maxine was blessed to live in a loving home with outstanding caregivers and healthcare providers, including her beloved visiting nurses, for whom we are so very grateful.