LEON BELL

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LEON BELL 1916 - 2002 With his family at his bedside, Leon Bell passed away peacefully on March 9, 2002 after a short illness. He was predeceased by his parents, Isaac and Pnina Bell, brother Art and sister-in-law Rae. He leaves to mourn his beloved family, his wife of 54 years, Rose; his children, Hannon (Lorraine), Nancy Manusow (David) and Kenneth (Leesa) beloved grandchildren, Joshua and Amy Manusow; nephews, Norman and Allen Bell; sister-in-law Pauline Essers; as well as his much loved and loving cousin Helen Powell. Leon was born in Russia in 1916 and in 1921, immigrated with his family to Canada, settling in Buchanan, SK. When he was 11, Leon discovered the violin, marking the start of a lifelong love of the instrument. Leons great talent as a violin soloist quickly showed itself and by the time he was 16, was teaching others to play. When his family moved to Edmonton several years later, Leon became a significant force in the citys musical fabric, eventually helping to form the Edmonton Symphony where he played in the first violin section and acted as secretary. At the same time Leon pursued a career as a pharmacist and completed his studies in pharmacy at the University of Alberta. In 1945, Leon moved to Winnipeg, where he quickly became well known in the citys musical and pharmaceutical circles. He was one of the original members of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Walter Kaufman. In 1946 at the end of May, he met Rose Rabinovitch and after a whirlwind courtship of three weeks they became engaged on June 21, 1946. They married on February 8, 1948. In the 1950s he formed the Eagles Concert band and acted as its conductor. He was concertmaster and later, conductor of the Winnipeg Pops Orchestra and conductor of the University of Manitoba concert band. As leader of the Leon Bell Strings, the strolling violin group he formed in 1966, he played for countless public and social events in Winnipeg. During this period and over the course of three decades, Leon operated the Norlyn Pharmacy and Bell Drugs, and continued to work part time as a pharmacist up until five years ago. Leon was a past president of the Jewish Musical Club and the Winnipeg Jewish Congress Council. He was a dedicated member of the Winnipeg Lions Club serving a term as its president. He was named Lion of the Year in 1993 to 1994. He was one of the founders of Folklorama and was the recipient of the first Mayors Voluntary Service Award in the Arts and Humanities. As a result of Leons enormous contribution to the community, a city park in Whyteridge was named for him in 1994, as well as a city street in Richmond Place, "Leon Bell Drive". His accomplishments are cited in the "Encyclopedia of Music in Canada" and "Our Musical Heritage", a book profiling significant Jewish musicians in the province. Leon was a very generous person who had a gentle soul. He was a benefactor to Russian immigrants and musicians, helped many individuals in need and took great pride in his family. As a violinist he was a very charismatic figure who loved to play for audiences large and small, and his passion for the violin was uncompromising. Just last year, Leon put on a concert to help entertain dialysis patients at the Health Sciences Centre. Funeral services were held March 10 at the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue. Pallbearers were Hannon Bell, Kenneth Bell, David Manusow, Joshua Manusow, Norman Bell and Bill Weissmann. Shiva was observed Sunday, March 10 to Friday, March 15 at Leons home. The family would like to thank Dr. Keevin Bernstein, Pat Hill and the medical and nursing staffs of the dialysis unit and ward A4 at the Health Sciences Centre for their kindness, compassion and expertise. If friends so desire, donations may be made to the Kidney Foundation, the Canadian Diabetes Association or a charity of their choice. Leons family will forever cherish the memory of their beloved, wonderful husband, father, grandfather.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 23, 2002