For six years before opening a private law practice, Nicholas P. Bell was an assistant state’s attorney in Cook County, where he saw the darker side of humankind. But his family said that experience made him an even gentler man and a sensitive yet tough lawyer.
“My dad had seen it all and every horrible terrible thing,” said his daughter Panay. “It almost made him more protective of his family.”
“He was this tough lawyer yet he could turn it off as soon as he got home. I saw my father as a huge loving guy,” she said.
For many people, the Oakbrook Terrace-based attorney gave free legal advice.
“My husband never raised his fees,” said his wife, Madeline. “He did freebies all the time. He was always looking out for people. He never turned anybody down. When it came to the law he thought people should have access to lawyers without large fees.”
Mr. Bell, 73, of Oak Brook died Friday, Dec. 9, of lung cancer in ManorCare Health Services in Hinsdale.
Born in Chicago to Greek immigrant parents, Mr. Bell attended the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign for one year before he transferred to Roosevelt University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He then enlisted in the Army and served in the Korean War overseas. Upon his return, he received his law degree from DePaul University.
He became a criminal prosecutor for the Cook County state’s attorney. He left to open a private practice in Chicago. In 1978 he moved his law offices to Oakbrook Terrace as a general practitioner but primarily dealt with real estate law and taxes.
Throughout his adult life, Mr. Bell was actively involved in the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, or AHEPA, a philanthropic organization that provides medical care in the United State for ailing children from Greece and provides college scholarships.
In 1972, Mr. Bell was governor of the 13th District of AHEPA.
He and his wife had met seven years before they married but became reacquainted at an AHEPA convention in Boston. They married in 1975 and moved to Oak Park, then in 1979 to Oak Brook.
Mr. Bell served on the school board of Butler Elementary School District 53 in Oak Brook from 1985 to 1989. He was also a member of the Oak Brook Civic Association.
With a keen sense of humor, Mr. Bell often used laughter and jokes to help his friends and family deal with serious situations. Soon after his diagnosis of lung cancer in March, he and his wife attended a church luncheon with friends. Many felt awkward and did not know what to say, said his wife.
“We sat at the table with our closest friends and he said, `Madeline and I will be married 30 years in June and her cooking is finally killing me,'” she recalled. “He just said it to put everybody at ease, and it did. People were able to approach him after that.”
“I was married to Nick Bell for 30 years and I never had one unhappy day. People have to work in their marriage, but for me it was a walk in the park,” she said.
Other survivors include another daughter, Nicole.
Services will begin at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church, 2561 S. Wolf Rd., Westchester.
