Family of Kevin Bell Remembers Lost Loved One

Two days after a blaze claimed the life of Hartford firefighter Kevin Bell, his mother and sister are sharing stories about the loved one they lost.

“He was the most wonderful son you could ever have in your life. That was my backbone,” Cheryl Bell said with a sad smile Thursday in an exclusive interview with NBC Connecticut. “He was my baby.”

Kevin Bell, 48, was one of the first to enter the burning building at 598 Blue Hills Avenue. He was pulled from the home in cardiac arrest and pronounced dead Tuesday night.

Bell is the first Hartford firefighter to die on duty in 40 years, and now the city is in mourning.

“Beyond him being a firefighter, he was a wonderful husband, a brother – he was more than I can ask even for a brother – and besides that he was an excellent cook,” said his younger sister, Torraine Bell-Grimes. “He knew how to cook everything.”

Bell-Grimes smiled as she recalled phoning her brother for recipe help, reminiscing alongside her mother and oldest sibling, Shawn Bell, who has served as the family’s mouthpiece. They laughed together, for a minute, lost in thought.

Because if they didn’t laugh, they would cry.

“Kevin’s whole personality and everything about him… He was an amazing human being. And his loss means so much, and it just hurts so much,” Bell-Grimes said, her strength evident in her determination to stay composed. “But I know I just have to move forward and just be strong.”

The fallen firefighter began his career later in life, but family members said he had the energy and ambition of a much younger man.

“Kevin was 20 years older than half his class, and Kevin was actually performing like someone who was 21 years old,” said Bell-Grimes, adding that her brother would go out of his way to complete extra tests just because he could – and ace them every time.

“Kevin was a perfectionist at everything he did, and he always had to be number one,” she explained. “If he didn’t get it right, he’d go back and do it a thousand times until he got it right.”

Bell leaves behind two other siblings, a wife and 22-year-old daughter, Rocky, who has already claimed his car – perhaps in an effort to keep him close and bring her dad’s memory wherever she goes.

“I think if anybody should have the car and have the memories, I think she should have it,” Grimes-Bell said of Rocky. “She’s hanging in there and she’s being really strong for her mother.”

The family said they draw strength from the outpouring of community support and take comfort in the knowledge that Kevin Bell touched so many lives.

“Kevin Lamont Bell was dynamite,” his mom said with a smile.

A memorial fund has been set up in Kevin Bell's honor. To donate, visit the Hartford Firefighters Credit Union at 776 Maple Avenue in Hartford, or send donations to:

Kevin L. Bell Memorial Family Fund
C/O Hartford Firefighters Survivors' Fund
Farmington Bank
669 Hebron Avenue
Glastonbury, CT 06033

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