Saul Bell, a chemist who lived in Westville, has died at the age of 101.
Following is the eulogy delivered at his funeral Sunday by Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen of Congregation Beth El Keser Israel:
Saul Bell was born 101 years ago in Brooklyn, New York, to Paul & Bella Bell, who had immigrated from Russia a decade earlier. Saul grew up with his dear sister Lorraine (may she live and be well) in an ethnically diverse neighborhood. Saul was a good son who honored his parents. He worked in his father’s drug store, and went on to study and teach chemistry and pharmacy, being the sole graduate of that division’s doctoral program when he stood to receive his degree at Columbia University.
Saul helped develop pesticides for allied troops in the Pacific during World War Two, to protect them from malaria, and after the war had a distinguished career as a pharmaceutical chemist. He developed a wide range of products, from skin care to mosquito repellent.
Though his work hours were long, he participated in a bowling league with co-workers, who affectionately called him “Doc” thanks to his academic degree. It did not matter to him whether they worked in research, production or management – Saul had no pretense of status.
When the family moved to Connecticut, he accepted a longer commute so his family could live in a developed Jewish community, the Westville neighborhood, where he lived until moving to Maryland to be closer to family a few years ago.
Saul maintained a loving and close relationship with his sister Lorraine and her family. Saul also kept contact with his father’s brother’s large family in Israel. But it was Lorraine, as well as Hope’s siblings, and their children, who were at the core of his family life beyond his own household. He was fortunate to have this family throughout his days, including a visit by Lorraine and her family earlier this year, which he enjoyed tremendously.
Saul attended elementary school in Brooklyn with a girl (i.e., female child) named Hope Rosenblatt, destined to be his high school prom date. They were married in 1941, after he received his degree, and lived in a brownstone walk-up in Brooklyn, then in New Jersey and ultimately relocating with his company to Connecticut. Saul and his parents had a close and lovely relationship with Hope’s parents and family throughout their lives.
Saul and Hope were a self-sufficient couple, which is to say that while they had many good friends, they were happy to be with each other. Their focus was on their work, local institutions such as the Neighborhood Music School and Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel, and most of all their family. They traveled together to Israel, and to Nantucket, but their home, the synagogue, and the concert hall were always their favored locations.
Saul approached projects and activities systematically, becoming a self-taught expert in a number of fields. He was a master of detail. While he was happy to let other people, such as Hope, run things, he did have strong opinions which he was able to express, and he was able to take charge when he thought it necessary. Saul had standards, and in what was usually a gentle way, he could be demanding.
Friends and colleagues appreciated Saul’s gentle though confident and respectful demeanor. Saul was thoughtful and considerate, as well as completely unpretentious. He was pleasant to be with and tended to have a calming and positive effect on a group.
It was largely due to his personal qualities that Saul was drafted to become synagogue President in 1995, playing the role of peacemaker, guiding and enabling the congregation to move forward in a collaborative, organized and positive manner. We needed someone to make a decision that everyone would respect, thanks to the intelligence, kindness and integrity of the officer. He was the right person at the right time, and our community owes him a debt of gratitude for her service.
Saul was a good leader and a good follower. He was a terrific volunteer. I remember when I first met him back when he was working with Lenny Stein to organize the mailings. He produced and distributed hundreds of thousands of pieces of mail, organizing envelope stuffing sessions with volunteers, mastering the complex postal rate and mailing systems, and schlepping bags of mail to the post office. He built the sukka and helped with brunches. He served as Men’s Club President, and he was on-call for daily services, usually timed to interrupt his dinner, when one more person was needed for the minyan. He was a leader in the BEKI 2000 Planning Process, and a generous contributor to the Annual Campaign and BEKI 2000 project. He paid his dues.
Saul did it all. He was honored at a Tribute Dinner with Pat Goodwin in November 2005, and was honored in other settings as well. It was my great pleasure to know him since 1993, and I recall that he was already quite devoted to community service at the synagogue. It was a great blessing to me to serve with him while he was President and to enjoy his support and friendship for more than 20 years. He had a special place in my heart, and the fact that so many BEKI members are attending the service for him is a moving result of the way he endeared himself to so many of us.
Together with Hope, Saul created a loving home for their children, Michael, Jonathan and David. Saul and Hope worked hard to insure their children would have good educational opportunities, and indeed ultimately they were very proud of their boys’ accomplishments and the lives they created.
Saul was happy with the families his children created, and was honored and loved by this sons’ wives and children. In recent years, he grew closer to Michael & Barbara, Jonathan & Cathy and David & Mary, as much as was possible given the distance and other limitations. Saul was a very proud grandfather of Daniel & Elspeth, Matthew & Cary, Gabriel and Nicholas. He was interested in your activities and so very much enjoyed learning of your accomplishments and being with you.
Although Hope had a central role in the family dynamic, it turns out that after her passing, the family was able to keep together. Saul found the strength to go on, to play billiards and complete the daily New York Times crossword puzzle – in ink – read the New Yorker and swim many, many laps at the JCC of New Haven and then in Maryland – he was able to go on, to live a good and long life.
Saul was thrilled with his grear-grandaughter Gillian, and was rather expressive with her.
Saul very much enjoyed the family gathering just a few weeks ago marking his 101st birthday. I hope you will all have a sense of peace knowing that your love and care, your attention and devotion, as well as the fact that you are all living decent and productive lives – that all of this was a great source of satisfaction to your father, your brother and uncle, your grandfather Saul. The direct care that Michael & Barbara were able to provide particularly in this past few years in Maryland, along with David & Mary’s hosting him in Wisconsin for extended visits, and the many contacts with Jonathan & Cathy’s family, were an exemplary fulfillment of the mitzvah to honor one’s parents. May Saul’s descendants emulate his finest qualities of character and merit to be loved and respected as he was after a long, productive and good life.
