November 2024
Vickye Jo Millard Bell born January 29, 1943, grew up in Lewiston, Idaho. She attended Lewiston High School, graduating in 1961. Vickye Jo attended College Elementary Grade School, about four or five blocks from her home. She soon acquired the nickname of “Vic Tardy” as she never got to school before the bells rang.
She lost her loving father in 1951 and the age of 8 and helped her Mom (Elve) whenever possible around L&M Glass & Paint. She always insisted that mean monkey, “Gypsy” her Mom kept in the store did not belong to herself but, to her Mom. She spent one summer being a Mother’s Helper on a nearby farm. She says she hated collecting the eggs from those nasty chickens.
In High School she was in the band and marched in many parades down Main Street. She was a familiar sight cruising Lews with a car full of friends. Of course, dragging Main always followed. Vickye Jo went to San Jose State University where she studied interior design. In her early 20’s, she and a girlfriend set off for Honolulu, Hawaii. She lived in Honolulu for two years and insisted she met only the nicest of sailors. She returned to Seattle and obtained a job with the General Accounting office, where she worked for 30 years retiring with the title of Administrative Officer.
She married Gary Bell while in Seattle and they had a daughter, Ingrid in 1971. She and Gary divorced in 1982. Vickye Jo was very excited about visiting the large casinos and had many trips to Las Vegas with friends and relatives. She moved to Connecticut in 2004 to help her daughter out with her grandsons, Ethan and Myles. Annually they would travel to a new location on the East Coast to enjoy a summer vacation together.
Being a Nana was perhaps Vickye’s best chapter of all. We love her and miss her dearly as there will never be another like her. She passed away November 7th, 2024 in Connecticut.
If you feel inclined to donate in Vickye’s memory, please consider NYU FACES. They do important research for epilepsy, a cause close to Vickye’s heart.