Our extraordinary mother, Linda Lee Bell, passed away on January 13, 2025, at Los Robles Hospital, surrounded by family and friends. Linda was born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and grew up in upstate New York until her family moved to Southern California in the 1950s. She earned her BA in Sociology and a Masters in Education from UC Berkeley in the 1960s. At that time, she also became active in the Civil Rights Movement, which became a big part of her identity.
After college, she worked as a reporter and photojournalist for the Camarillo Daily News and the Malibu Surfside News before she went on to work as a bilingual schoolteacher in Port Hueneme District for almost 30 years. She moved to Malibu in the 1970s when her parents, Dolly and Paul Seay, bought Neptune’s Net and lived there for the rest of her life.
Linda was a wonderful mother and grandmother and always made sure her family had what they needed. She had many interests and was a talented musician, photographer, cook, avid reader, nature lover, and world traveler. She had a magnetic personality and was very kind and generous to her family and friends from many walks of life.
Linda is survived by her daughter, Kloie Karels, son, Kaya Ramos, and two granddaughters, Scarlett Bell Ramos and Hana Bell Minkler. She is also survived by her sister, Anita Bell, and her longtime partner, Doug Olsen.
Her luminous spirit will continue to live on in her beautiful photographs of nature and other works of art she created.
A Celebration of Life will be held on March 22, 2025, at the Malibu United Methodist Church, located at 30128 Morning View Dr., Malibu, 90265, at 1 PM.