Richard G. Bell

1970 - 2018

Richard G. Bell, 48, a long-time business owner and avid BMX racing enthusiast, passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack at his home in Salem, NH on December 15, 2018. Born July 7, 1970 in Topsfield, MA, Rick grew up in several North Shore towns, and graduated from Ipswich High School in 1988. Rick was a member of Topsfield Boy Scout Troop 81. He was the owner of FBN Plastics, which he began in 1990 when he combined his knowledge of plastics manufacturing learned from his grandpa at B. Rolsma & Co. with welding learned at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School. Rick believed in living your passions. BMX racing was an early passion, which had he and his mother and sister traveling together for years all around the Northeast, and continued racing into his adult years, with FBN Plastics sponsoring BMX racing teams as well. While pursuing a state title, he broke his leg, but continued with serious practice after a winter of recovery and won the BMX #1 Massachusetts plate for 16-year olds. Many hours were spent working at his grandpa's business to finance his ongoing pursuit of a national number plate. While at Ipswich High School, he formed the Math Team and was captain in his senior year. A muscle car aficionado, pizza lover, devoted partner, and true friend, Rick was universally loved by most humans and cats he met. A thoroughly good man, Rick was always there to help a friend or neighbor in need. He leaves us realizing the opportunities we have to be better people in tribute to him, and an awesome pair of Vans that will be impossible to fill. Rick is survived by the love of his life, Kelly Rota; his grandmother, Patricia Rolsma, and his mother, Kathleen Hoffman, both of Topsfield, MA; his sister, Patricia Nihan, and her husband, Daniel, and three nephews, all of Groveland, MA; his father, Gregory Bell of Methuen, MA; and four half-siblings: Gregory, Sherry, Melissa, and Christopher Bell. He is also survived by dozens of aunts and uncles and cousins spread all across the United States. He was predeceased by his grandparents: Bernard Rolsma, Wallace Bell, and Eleanor Bell, all formerly of Topsfield, MA, and A. Jeanne Gregory Bell, formerly of Andover, MA; and his younger brothers, Allen and Timothy Bell. Family and friends gathered for a Celebration of Life for Rick on December 20, 2018, with funeral arrangements under the direction of the Goundry and Dewhirst Funeral Home of Salem, NH.