Dr. Janet Bell

Dr. Janet Bell passed away April 19, 2021 at the age of 99.

Janet was born and raised in Penryn, CA where her parents owned a fruit ranch. She would reminisce about building wood crates for the fruit and roller skating in the large storage areas. During her childhood, Janet's family enjoyed camping trips and trips to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk where they stayed in one of the little vacation cabins. She was very close to both her mother and father, Irene and Howard Fischer.

Janet graduated from Medical School at Stanford University in 1947. She was one of three women in a class of sixty. Her husband-to-be Taine Bell was in the same class. Janet and Taine settled in Watsonville where they both practiced medicine.

Dr. Janet was a pediatrician for 38 years. Her early years included house calls at all hours and answering calls from patients on her home phone. In the later years of her practice, she learned to speak Spanish from the mothers of her patients. She also studied the language in a one-month immersion course in Cuernavaca, Mexico. During her time practicing medicine, Janet served a term as Chief of Staff at Watsonville Community Hospital as well as served on the hospital's Board of Directors.

Community was very important to Janet. She served on the board of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District for eight years. She also worked on the Board of Directors for the Salvation Army; the Watsonville Women's Club Foundation; CASA (court appointed special advocates for children); and Above the Line (the county's first homeless teen shelter). Her work for the community was recognized in 2001 by the Mid County Post awarding her the Woman of the Year as well as by being awarded the Rather Award for Leadership in Health Care during the same year.

Gardening and traveling were both activities Janet enjoyed with her husband Taine. Often, they would travel with good friends from Watsonville. Their destinations included Mexico, Guatemala, British Columbia and Thailand. Janet and Taine shared some wonderful times with the Hydes, the Shepards, the Koppels and the Dannos. Janet also enjoyed working on her bonsai trees (she was a member of the Santa Cruz Bonsai Club) as well as knitting and needlework.

Janet's family was extremely important to her. She wrote to her three children, "We are each of us a miracle and incredibly fortunate to be on this remarkable earth with all its beauty." She was preceded in death by her husband Taine Bell and her son Lyle Bell. She leaves a daughter Laurie Bell, a daughter and son-in-law Lisa and Mark Couper, a daughter-in-law Jane Bell, four grandchildren and five great grandchildren. She is sorely missed.

A family ceremony will be held in the Penryn area. Remembrances can be made in the form of donations to a favorite charity. Mehl's Colonial Chapel has been entrusted with the funeral arrangements.

Published in The Pajaronian · April 30, 2021