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Saying Goodbye To A Friend: Robert Bell’s Legacy

How do you sum up the life of a man like Robert Bell? A man whose volunteer work, coaching, speaking and writing deeply touched more lives than he could have ever imagined and who left everyone he encountered feeling like they had been truly seen.

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ROBERT CRAIG BELL
July 13, 1961 – December 27, 2024

ROBERT BELL, LONGTIME OPTICAL industry sales veteran, founder of EyeCoach, and INVISION contributor, passed away on December 27 at age 63 after a brief battle with cancer.

Robert, or Robby, or Bobby, or Bobert, or “The Animal,” depending on how you knew him, was born to Lawrence Roy Bell and Sheila Mae Mager in Brooklyn, NY, on July 13, 1961. The family moved to Merrick, NY, on Long Island in 1965 and Parsippany, NJ, when he was 17. He formally graduated from Parsippany Hills High School in 1979 but he spent most of his high school years at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore-Merrick, NY, and his heart always remained in Merrick. As a child and teenager, he played trumpet and attended summer camp at Camp Clark in Cape Cod, eventually becoming a camp counselor there and earning the nickname “The Animal” because of his devotion to physical fitness. He went on to attend the University of Maryland but left before graduation to begin his career in optical.

Born with the industry in his blood thanks to his father Larry’s success in optical sales, Robert began working for Richard Block at Silor. Silor merged with Essil in 1972 and became known as Essilor worldwide. His work with Silor brought him to the West Coast and after a brief stint in Los Angeles, he eventually settled and spent the majority of his adult life in the Bay Area of California working with companies like Sonoma Eyewear and the Visionaries Group before founding his own company, EyeCoach, a sales and marketing consultancy to help eyecare professionals improve customer and staff satisfaction, in 2009.

But he was so much more than the schools he attended and the companies he worked for.

How, then, do you sum up the life of a man like Robert Bell? He loved the Beatles and classic rock. His sister, Marni, credits him with introducing her to all the classics — particularly Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody — after he discovered she was listening to disco. His lifelong friend, Ted Canova, spoke of his love of cannolis, concerts, and road trips. His father described him as a tough little kid who became “the man of the house” when his own job took him away from home. Everyone agrees he was selfless, witty, loyal, spontaneous, a giver who loved people, and when he made a friend, he made a friend for life.

He was his own man — he’d always wanted to be — but his heart was huge. People easily opened up to him and he applied this unique gift and his generous spirit over the last two decades to organizing the provision of eyecare services to the poor and underserved communities of San Francisco, and greater California, with Project Homeless Connect and California Care Force. He spoke and wrote frequently about how his volunteer work profoundly changed him and always encouraged others to volunteer. He insisted when someone volunteered their time to help the less fortunate the experience always returned more than it took. Through his volunteer work, coaching, speaking and writing he deeply touched more lives than he could ever have imagined. But his real legacy is how freely he gave of himself leaving everyone he encountered feeling like they had been truly seen.

He was preceded in death by his mother (2009). He is survived by his father, brother Richard Bell (Victoria), sister Marni Bell Askinazy (Matthew), and nieces and nephews: Griffin, Camryn, Kayla, Spencer and Izzi. He leaves behind his partner in life Lisa Trippi, who hopes to keep EyeCoach alive, her daughter Rachel Talavera, a third-generation optician who held down their business through Robert’s illness, and their grandchildren Eva, Vera and Calvin.

A memorial service was held in early January and plans for his ashes to be spread at his three favorite places are being made. Those looking to honor Robert’s memory can contribute in his name to the Project Homeless Connect San Francisco – Vision Program here.

Robert’s articles for INVISION can be read here.

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