Longtime Oakmont High teacher Bob Bell dies

Oakmont High School lost one of its founding members Jan. 14 with the death of longtime educator and Boy Scout leader Bob Bell. He was 63.Bell died suddenly of a heart attack in Cisco Grove, where he was leading a Boy Scouts camping event. He spent 25 years as a Scout leader and remained active in the group after retiring from Oakmont High in June."He loved it so much that he wouldn't quit," Bell's wife of 41 years, Kathleen, said of his passion for Scouting. Bob Bell ServiceWhen: 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 28Where: Sunset Christian Center, 6900 Destiny Drive, RocklinReception: Oakmont High School cafeteriaDonations: Boy Scouts Golden Empire Council, P.O. Box 13558, Sacramento, CA 95853"He was a selfless individual," added Darrin Pagel, one of Bell's former Boy Scouts and a math teacher at Granite Bay High School. "He was somebody who was committed to kids. He basically poured himself into guys learning how to become men."A native of Sweet Spring, Mo., Bell attended high school in Doris, where he met his wife. They moved to Roseville after he graduated from Chico State.Bell joined Oakmont's inaugural faculty in 1965."He was just coming out of college and I had been teaching previously," said Bell's friend and co-worker Glenn Poole.In the early years, Poole recalled the school didn't employ specialized electrical workers. But Bell took up the part of amateur electrician, setting up the audio and lights for important events."He was always working late Friday night to set up the equipment for graduation," Poole said.Bell taught industrial arts at the school for 40 years - nearly the same amount of time he spent as the school's official football timer."He left a legacy at this school," Oakmont Principal Kathleen Sirovy said. "To me, I would use him as a benchmark for what a truly professional, dedicated teacher can be. And I would hope that young teachers would look at that."After retiring, the school still needed someone to time the games."So of course they gave him a call and he comes back and does it. That's the kind of guy he is," said Oakmont teacher Bill Tudsbury.In 2004, the school officially named the Oakmont press box in his honor."Bob's not the type of guy who would ever talk about it, but I'm sure it tickled him to death," said Tudsbury, who added that a small road in back of the shop area bears the designation "Bob Bell Lane.""He was involved in football when he was in high school," Kathleen said. "He just thoroughly enjoyed high school football. We always went down to the 49er games."Bell was the last original faculty member to retire from the school. "I don't think in all the years I taught with him that there was anybody that never had a good word to say about Bob Bell," Poole said.Bell is survived by his mother Lela and father John; his two sisters, Marilyn and Joy; son Vince and daughter Tonya Rocha.A celebration of Bell's life is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at Sunset Christian Center, 6900 Destiny Drive, Rocklin. A reception in the Oakmont High cafeteria will follow.In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Boy Scouts Golden Empire Council, P.O. Box 13558, Sacramento CA 95853.- Nathan Donato-Weinstein can be reached at nathand@goldcountry media.com.