Scott Bell

With heavy hearts, the family of Richard (Scott) Bell (age 50, of Maryville, Missouri) shares that he passed away on Monday, December 5, 2022. Scott was a beloved husband, son, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend.

He was born in 1972 in Sedalia, Missouri, to Karen Ritchey Bell (deceased) and Gregory Bell. Growing up, Scott excelled academically and enjoyed playing soccer, hunting, fishing, canoeing, and anything else that allowed him to be outdoors. He was an Eagle Scout and graduated from Smith-Cotton High School near the top of his class. Scott went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in geological engineering and a Master of Science in computer science, both from the University of Missouri – Rolla (now known as Missouri University of Science and Technology), and a Ph.D.
in computer science from Kansas State University.

A professor of computer science at Northwest Missouri State University, Scott thrived while teaching and helping others. He was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying duck hunting, bow hunting, scuba diving, fly fishing, storm chasing, training hunting/field trial dogs, and simply being in nature. Scott traveled extensively, particularly in pursuit of scuba diving adventures. In 2016, Scott married the love of his life, Tonya Bell. They shared their lives with their two cherished yellow labs, Willow and Aria.

Scott is survived by his wife, Tonya Bell; father, Greg Bell; sister, Jenny Bell Holmen (with her husband Christian and children Gus and Hazel); mother-in-law, Charlotte Stair; aunt, Linda Ritchey Dorn (with her husband, Mark Dorn); uncle, Dave Ritchey; cousin, Cody Bell; and cousin, Michelle Bell Wilson (with her husband John and children Catch and Vida). He also leaves behind too many friends to count.

Scott passed away at home after a two-year struggle with likely Lewy Body dementia. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Lewy Body Dementia Association at https://www.lbda.org/donate/. There is not a service planned at this time, but the family will announce a celebration of life sometime in the future. For online condolences, please visit www.bramfuneralhome.com.