Funeral services will be held Monday, Nov. 1, at 11 a.m. for Verde Valley Fire District firefighter and paramedic Tyrone Bell, who died Oct. 18 from complications associated with COVID-19, contracted in the line of duty. Bell, 35, is survived by his beloved wife, Ashli, his 5-year-old son, Tyson, and his parents, Ross, and Rosie Bell.
Services for Bell will be held at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 700 N Bill Gray Road in Cottonwood. At the request of the Bell family, the church service will be open to family, friends, firefighters, and the extended fire family.
Services at the cemetery will be private, open to the family, close friends, and Bell’s immediate fire family.
For those sending flowers, send them to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 700 N. Bill Gray Road, Cottonwood, AZ 86326, between 8:30 and 10 a.m. on the day of the service.
Raised in Clarkdale, Bell was a member of St. Cecilia’s Catholic parish, where he served on the altar until his teen years. He attended Clarkdale-Jerome School, where he was a friend to all and known for his sense of humor and easy-going demeanor. Always ready with a laugh and rarely one to turn down mischief, the friends Bell made were friends for life.
Bell attended Mingus Union High School, where he played football. He graduated in 2004, initially going to culinary school before beginning his career in public safety. Bell had excellent culinary skills, which earned him the gratitude of everyone who worked on his shift.
Bell began his career as a reserve firefighter with the Clarkdale Fire District and Verde Valley Fire District. Later, Bell became a full-time EMT at Verde Valley Ambulance Co., completing paramedic school in his off hours.
An excellent paramedic, Bell was hired full-time as a firefighter paramedic for Verde Valley Fire District in 2017. A light-hearted and kind friend around the station, Bell was a consummate professional when the emergency tones sounded. He had an amazing ability to stay focused on treating the injured and not succumb to the pressure of the moment. No firefighter who worked with Tyrone ever doubted his skill as a firefighter – he was the guy you wanted to take into any dangerous situation.
During high school, Bell met his future wife, Ashli, who was the love of his life. They married June 21, 2013, surrounded by friends and family in Jerome.
Their son, Tyson, born Jan. 26, 2016, was his dad’s sidekick for every endeavor outside the fire station. Tyrone and Ashli Bell spent their life together enjoying the Verde Valley with their son from the snow on Mingus Mountain to the Verde River. They vacationed from the Midwest to Mexico with matching smiles, each truly the other’s best friend. They spent their time as a family making memories and everyone was invited to join in their fun.
Tyrone Bell’s laugh “was as sly as his smile, his humbleness as true as his heart. Always generous with his time, Tyrone leaves a legacy of quiet gestures made for his community. His absence leaves a void that will never be filled, but will be surrounded by those who learned to live better and love better because of him.”
In addition to his beloved family, Bell leaves behind a wide circle of friends, old and new, who are devastated by his untimely passing. He is preceded in death by his grandparents, his older twin sisters, and his nephew, Cameron Bell.
Public safety organizations who are going to send an apparatus to the services are asked to RSVP by Friday, Oct. 29, noon. RSVP to Verde Valley Fire at 928-634-2578. We are asking to have all static displays apparatus in place by 10 a.m. at 700 N Bill Gray Road, Cottonwood.
