Dan's obituary
Dan Gresham Bell, aka The Old Man (T.O.M) peacefully passed away on July 1, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. He was 84. He was at home with daugher, Tona and son-in-law, Randy. He was born on October 9, 1940 in Atlanta, Georgia to Myra and Ernest (E.R.) Bell.
He served in the Navy for four years and was an aviation communications specialist. He went to Georgia Tech and dedicated his life to telecommunications, first as an installer and then engineer and finally customer service management. He went from climbing telephone poles, to installing PBX systems to cell site engineer. He traveled the globe with stints in: Hawaii, Italy, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. He loved animals and fly fishing. Dan could sing most any song by heart and was an avid cinephile. He loved a dirty joke and had his mother's dry southern wit.
He is survived by only daughter, Tona Katrina Bell-Rosenthal, and son-in-law, Randy Scott Rosenthal. His granddaughter, Hannah Rosenthal Bricker and great-granddaughters, Clara June and Della Gail Bricker. He was preceded in death by wife Edna Gail Killian , mother, Myra and father E.R. Bell.
A celebration of life will be held later this year in Atlanta at Piedmont Park where his ashes will go back to the red clay of Georgia. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Paper Seahorse, a social enterprise focusing on helping people reduce screen-time and living a more mindful life.