Mr. Robert Edmund Bell

Robert Edmund Bell, 93, of 90 Bellmore Drive, died suddenly on Sunday, October 8, 2017 at his home. He had been a resident of Pittsfield for 55 years. Born on September 30, 1924, in Berlin, NH, he was the son of the late Edmund and Nellie (Keenan) Bell formerly of Berlin, NH. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Naval Reserve from March 1943 until April 1946. He was assigned to the LCI(L) Flotilla Twelve staff that participated in the Normandy Landing at Omaha Beach. He attained the rating of Radio Technician first class and was transferred to the Navy V-12 program and later NROTC for college training. He received Bachelor and Master degrees in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He worked for General Electric for more than 35 years in Schenectady, NY, Pittsfield at GE Ordnance Systems, and Houston, TX, retiring in 1985. His interests over the years have included scuba diving, bowling, singing in Barbershop chorus groups, and playing the organ. Robert was the family genealogist for over 50 years. In the mid 1960s, he developed his own genealogical filing system, and later wrote his own database programs on early computers in the 1980s. Robert, with his wife, Doris, collected thousands of genealogical documents and he has continually researched the family tree into his 90s. Robert was a communicant of Sacred Heart Church where he sang in the choir for many years, was a Eucharist Minister and a Senior Server. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Doris Coleman Bell, daughter of the late Arthur and Jane (Fitzpatrick) Coleman formerly of Watervliet, NY. Robert is survived by three sons, Richard and his wife Anne-Marie (Toole) of Richmond, MA, Ronald of East Windsor, NJ and Douglas and his wife Debora (Dyson) of Clearwater, FL; one sister, Helen McCarty and her husband Winston McCarty of Concord, NH; seven grandchildren, Robyn Gentile and her husband Andrew Gentile of Wakefield, MA, Shannon Stern and her husband Peter Stern of Watertown, MA, Craig and his wife Lindsey (Cohen) of Omaha, NE, Elizabeth and her fiancé Charles Monnich of Sandston, VA, Lauren Osborne and her husband Carl Osborne of Natick, MA, Drew of Lancaster, PA, and Adam of Arlington, VA; and six great-grandchildren. Robert was preceded in death by two siblings, Oliver Bell of Tilton, NH, and Florence Wright of West Danville, VT. Funeral Notice: Funeral services for Mr. Robert Edmund Bell will be held Friday, October 13, 2017 with a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church, celebrated by Rev. Joseph Romano. Entombment will follow in St. Michael the Archangel Mausoleum at St. Joseph Cemetery. Calling hours will be held Thursday, October 12, 2017 from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. at the Dwyer Funeral Home, 776 North St., Pittsfield, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sacred Heart Church, care of the Dwyer Funeral Home, in his memory.DONATIONS CANNOT BE MADE ONLINE, but may be made through the Dwyer Funeral Home.

Mr. Robert Edmund Bell

September 30, 1924 - October 8, 2017