Ross O. Bell, Jr.  MD, long-time Director of the 
Clinical and Anatomic Laboratories of Ohio 
Valley Medical Center, died July 5, 2010 at OVMC 
in Wheeling. 
He is survived by his best friend and wife of 62 
years, Wileta Fields Bell; two sons, Eric Bell 
(Polly Paetzold, fiancée), Cypress, TX, and  
Mark Bell of New York; three daughters, Sally 
Bell Kelly, Oakland, MD, Susan Bell Clifford 
(Paul), Ramsey, NJ, and Alison Bell Stuck 
(William) of Columbia, SC; and thirteen 
grandchildren: Leah Bell Foster and Philip Bell; 
Michael, Casey, and Matthew Clifford; Jacob, 
Lindsey, Whitney, and Kirk Gillen; and Scott, 
Craig, Meghan, and Jillian Kelly; one great-
granddaughter, Emilia Rey Foster; and two 
brothers, William E. Bell, MD (Gail), Chapel 
Hill, NC, and David Bell (Nancy) of Morgantown, 
WV. 

He was born April 22, 1926, in Westernport, 
Maryland, and served in the United States Navy V-
5 and V-12 pre-flight and flight programs from 
1943-1946 and graduated from West Virginia 
University with AB, BS, and MS degrees and an MD 
from the University of Pennsylvania, 1951. He 
entered the Doctor Draft in 1953 and served from 
1954-1957, including stations at US Army Fort 
Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas and the Far 
East (Tokyo, Japan). He was honorably discharged 
as Captain from the United States Army.
His affiliation with Ohio Valley General 
Hospital/Ohio Valley Medical Center began with 
an internship in 1951 and a residency in 
pathology beginning in 1952.  His affiliation 
with OVGH/OVMC continued as a board-certified 
physician and administrator in pathology until 
his retirement in 1990.  He developed medical 
technology teaching programs for high school 
graduates and local colleges and developed and 
supervised pathology resident teaching programs 
for OVGH/OVMC.

Always the teacher, the learner, he was a 
lifelong early adopter and skilled user of 
technology applications and recently purchased 
and enjoyed an iPad. He enjoyed fishing from an 
early age, annual trout fishing trips with 
fellow fishermen for many years, and happily 
sharing his love of fishing with his children 
and grandchildren. His favorite travel 
destination was the Outer Banks of North 
Carolina.
 
A private service was held Tuesday July 6, 2010, 
with the immediate family.  
The family requests that donations in his memory 
be addressed to the OVMC Pulmonary Rehab Program 
(payable to the Ohio Valley Health Services & 
Education (OVHS&E) Foundation, 2000 Eoff Street, 
Wheeling WV 26003-3823). 
Online remembrances at www.Kepnerfuneral.com .