Kenneth Gene Bell of Las Vegas, Nev., passed away on Nov. 29, 2023, after a brief illness. He was 92 years old.

Born on Oct. 2, 1931 in Greenway, Ark., Ken resided on the family farm in Piggott until the age of 17 when he moved to California’s San Joaquin Valley with his parents and younger brother.

Ken finished high school in Dos Palos, Calif., and then worked in farming outside of Fresno. He then joined the Navy in 1951 and while stationed in Boston, he met his first wife Loretta, and they went on to have two daughters. In 1960, the family moved back to Fresno, where Ken worked as a law enforcement officer for several years.

After meeting his second wife, Norma Jean, the couple made their home in the San Francisco Bay Area and had two sons together during a loving marriage of 48 years. Ken also rejoined the Navy in 1968 and his career and love of the Navy lasted for over 30 years. He rose through the ranks to become a Chief Warrant Officer, before retiring in 1987.

Ken then went to work as an engineer at the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco before finally retiring for good. In retirement, he and Norma spent many happy years traveling all over the United States in their motorhome accompa-

Kenneth Gene Bell

nied by their cat, Champ.

After the passing of his wife Norma, Ken married Genoveva, and the couple moved first to Arizona and then to their final home in Las Vegas.

Ken will be remembered for being gregarious and full of life. He was quick to laugh, and never met a stranger. Predeceased by his wife Norma, he is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Genoveva; his four children: Sharon Isaacson (husband Carl) and Kimberly Whaley (husband Alan), Ken Bell (wife Tess) and Garth Bell (wife Michele). He leaves behind his surviving brother, Jim (wife Judy), four stepchildren, seven grandchildren, seven step-grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Ken was laid to rest on Dec. 21, 2023, at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego.

The family requests that donations be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital @ www.stjude.org.