Thomas Edwin Bell

Thomas Edwin Bell, 89, of West Branch, MI and formerly of Goodrich, MI passed away on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at his home, with his wife, Janet and daughter, Kim by his side. He weas born on Hillman, MI, the son of William Preston Bell and Elsie (Oming) Bell.

He met and married Janet (Hubble) Bell on April 11, 1959. They lived in Goodrich for 44 years before moving to Fresno, CA in 2003 where his daughter, Kim and her husband, Mike, lived. After 11 years in California, traveling back and forth from Fresno to their summer home in Hillman, they moved to West Branch, followed by Kimberly and Mike. Tom lived in West Branch for 11 years before his passing.

Tom grew up in Hillman on a beef cattle farm. In 1953 he and a friend decided to hire in at the Buick Plant in Flint, MI. He worked there for 2 years and at a print shop near the plant. He moved to Davison, MI where he and Janet met through her sister. In 1962, he bought a truck and hauled gravel to help build a stretch of I-75 from Grayling to Gaylord. With that experience, he bought a tractor trailer and did cross country hauling of furniture from Mayflower Van Lines. Eventually he worked at Sunoco Gas Station in Goodrich, purchasing the old Ford Dealership in Ortonville, MI, where he spent 22 years in the business. He retired in 2000. Retirement wasn’t for him, so he got a job at Walmart in the TLE Department for 1 and a half years before moving to Fresno, CA. His final job was pressing shirts at a Korean dry cleaner in Fresno.

Tom is survived by his wife, Janet (Hubble) Bell; daughter, Kimberly (Michael) Toepfer of Whittemore, MI; nieces, Ruth (Michael) Doyle of Tawas City, MI and Susan (Todd) Morrison of Youngstown, OH; nephews, Robert Gamage of New York, NY, and Michael (Bonnie) Bell of Carlisle, PA; and sisters in law, Barbara Petitt, Bonnie Ferguson, Sue Brownson, and Dawn (Charles) Rasak.

He is preceded in death by his parents, son, Scott A. Bell; brothers, James (Lousie) Bell, John Bell, Allen (Nancy) Bell; sister, Betty (Mack) Gamage; and sister-in-law, Juanita (Eggleston) Pearman.

Visitation will be held at Steuernol & McLaren Funeral Home in West Branch on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Visitation will also be held Village Funeral Home 135 South St. Ortonville, MI 48462 on Thursday, February 12, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to the time of the funeral service at 1:00 p.m. Pastor Autumn Howard will officiate. Burial will follow at Ortonville Cemetery.

Memorial contributions can be made to Heartland Hospice.

Online condolences can be shared at www.steuernolmclaren.com