[indigogo]

The mother of our good friend, Bill Bell, died this week from complications of Parkinson's disease. Tina Bell Torrance had PD for 23 years. Although Bill had several other relatives with Parkinson's on both sides of his family, it was his mom's struggle to find great PD care in Seattle that led to the creation of the Northwest Parkinson's Foundation and the Booth Gardner Parkinson's Care Center at Evergreen Medical Center in Kirkland, Washington.

While not many of us knew his mom, lots of us know and love Bill, and are so grateful for his friendship and the great gifts he has brought to the Parkinson's community in Seattle, across the nation, and even around the world.

My heart goes out to Bill and his family. I hope to attend the memorial service for his mother on Friday - I'd be happy to take with me all of your good wishes and any words you'd like to share with him.

Here is the obituary from today's Seattle Times:

Tina Bell TORRANCE Tina Torrance, a force in the cultural life of Seattle, died from complications of Parkin son's disease. An accomplished cook, Tina authored two cookbooks with Fred Brack on Northwest cooking and helped propel this region's specialty cuisine into the national spotlight in the early 1980's. They won a James Beard award in 1988 and for several years wrote restaurant reviews for Seattle Weekly and Washington Magazine. While exploring the cuisine of the Northwest, Tina developed a deep friendship with Angelo Pelligrini, and together with friends and family they celebrat ed the Epicurean philosophy that Pelligrini had been living and writing about for years. They were both Italian immigrants who cared about the quality of food, cooking and celebrating life. They were early proponents of the Slow Food movement. In 1985, Tina became the owner of the specialty food stores, The Wedge, where she developed haute cuisine catering. She sold both stores in 1990 when she married Bill Torrance and retired to Palm Springs. Tina also served as Chair of the Intiman Theater Board of Directors in the early 1990's. Tina and her twin sister, Anna, came to the United States from Italy after WWII by a special dispensation from Congress. The Ellero twins were adopted by their older sister, Narina, and moved to Bellevue in 1954. Tina graduated from Bellevue High School in 1955 and attended University of Washington, joining the sorority, Pi Beta Phi. As a Sophomore, she was awarded the title Queen of Queens by the collected pageant winners in 1957. Tina married William L. Bell, Jr. in 1958 and soon after moved with her young family to New York, Australia, Indonesia and Hong Kong. She made lifelong friends wherever she lived. Her experi ence in Indonesia inspired Jana Imports, a batik clothing compa ny, which she created with Anna upon her return to Seattle in 1978. Tina is survived by her twin sister Anna Kydd, her three children, Allison Bell Wood, Bill Bell and Joel Bell, and three grandchil dren, Caroline Ellero Bell Wood, Jake William Bell and Ian Swann Bell. Though diagnosed with Parkin son's in 1986, Tina's hospitality and generosity went undimin ished throughout the years. She responded to each new limitation with tremendous courage, character and grace. She was one of the founding Board Members of the Northwest Parkinson's Foundation, which helped create the Booth Gardner Parkinson's Care Center. A memorial will be held on Friday, April 17th, 2:00 p.m., at Intiman Theater. In lieu of flowers or cards, a donation in her name can be made to the Northwest Parkinson's Foundation - www.nwpf.org.

http://www.legacy.com/SeattleTimes/D...onId=126042510

[jeanb]

Thank you for letting us know. I was so very sorry to hear about Bill's mother passing away. Sincere condolences to Bill and his family.

Jean

[Jaye]

Carey,

Please take deepest condolences with you from hubby and I. Bill is a true friend to every person with PD, someone who cares about each of us. I knew his family was afflicted with this gigantic challenge, but I hadn't stopped to think how well he must have been raised to have such deep compassion for us all. Her loss will be felt for a long time to come.

Jaye

[paula_w]

Bill,

How lucky your mother was to have a son like you. She must have died happy about many things in her life. Your devotion is inspiring and must have kept her going for a long time.

My sympathies to you and yours,

with admiration,
paula

[SherylJ]

Bill,

I am very sorry to hear about your mother's passing away.

As the mother of two adult sons, I assure you that even with her many accomplishments, nothing could have made your mother prouder than raising a son who grew up to be a "mensch" — a person of strength, honor, decency and firmness of purpose. Your efforts have benefitted the Parkinson's community nationwide, providing a model for excellence in care.

Sincerely,
Sheryl Jedlinski

[jinglelady4]

I cannot imagine how hard this is for you. My prayers and thoughts go out to you and your love circle in this stressful time. May God send His angels to comfort and sustain you, and bless you with words of comfort from those you come in contact with.

sincerely,
april curfman