Our beloved educator and longtime resident of Swanzey, NH, Patricia A. Bell 63, passed away at her home on Thursday evening, March 31, 2022, surrounded by her family, following a courageous battle with cancer.
Her parents, Maurice and Doris (Benard) Belanger, welcomed their daughter into the world in Manchester, NH on May 15, 1958. She grew up in Manchester and was a graduate of Manchester West High School.
Patricia received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education and in Social Sciences from Keene State College, graduating in 2003 with Kappa Delta Pi honors.
"Mrs. Bell" welcomed hundreds of students into her classroom with open arms and a love to enrich their minds and souls, in her 23 years in the Monadnock School District, most notably as an elementary school teacher at both Troy Elementary School as well as Mt. Caesar Elementary School in Swanzey.
Outside of her classroom, Patricia loved tending to her floral and vegetable gardens; crafting and attending many area craft fairs; and creating many wonderful meals for her family. She loved going to the beach, taking many long walks along the seashore and finding great solace in watching the ebb and flow of the waves. Her cherished memories are the special times spent with her family, especially her grandchildren.
She will be greatly missed by many, especially her husband of thirty years, Kevin A. Bell of Swanzey; her children, Jason Blake and his wife, Angela, of Swanzey, Amy Blake of Troy, Taylor Bell of Swanzey, Chelsea Bell of Swanzey; her grandchildren, Connor Blake, Hailey Blake, Adelyn Blake; her siblings, Maurice Belanger and his wife, Sandy, of Manchester, NH, Daniel Belanger of Manchester, Lisa Vattes and her husband, David, of St. Louis, MO, Larry Belanger and his wife, Cathy, of Hudson, NH, Annette Smith and her husband, Greg, of Davenport, FL; her step-mother, Elaine Belanger of Manchester; many nieces, nephews and extended family members; and her special Mt. Caesar Family. A granddaughter, Norah Blake, predeceased Patricia.
A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 10:30am in St. Bernard Church, 185 Main Street, Keene, NH. Burial with committal prayers will follow in the Mountain View Cemetery, Old Homestead Highway (Route 32), Swanzey. Family and friends are invited to call on Friday evening from 4:00 to 7:00pm in the Monadnock Covenant Church, 90 Base Hill Road, Keene.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mrs. Bell’s memory to the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation, PO Box 2805, West Lafayette, IN 47996 (ibcresearch.org).
