Arundel single mum dies suddenly aged 36

ARUNDEL residents are rallying to support two children whose mother died suddenly at the age of 36.
Kylee Bell with her children Jayden and TorrinKylee Bell with her children Jayden and Torrin
Kylee Bell with her children Jayden and Torrin

Single parent Kylee Bell was found collapsed at her home last Saturday by her 13-year-old son, Jayden.

He and sister Torrin had just popped to the shops, leaving their mother sitting in the kitchen of their home.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Marisa Whitfield, Kylee’s mother, said they were still awaiting the results of the post mortem and had no idea the cause of her death.

“She was very, very passionate about her children,” said Marisa.

“The support from the people of Arundel has been amazing. They have been raising money in pubs and schools and sending presents for the children. I don’t think Kylee realised how popular she was.”

The Kylee Bell Family Future Fund has been set up and already more than £3,500 has been raised.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We are setting up a fund to help support her amazing, bright and intelligent children for the future to give them everything Kylee would have wanted and if possible more,” said the family.

“Kylee was a loveable, funny, charismatic woman who was musically talented and passionate about life and dedicated in giving her children the best future in every way possible.”

Jayden recently featured in this newspaper after he scored 159 out of 161 in the official Mensa test, putting his IQ at the level of ‘genius’.

At the time, Kylee said: “He is just a regular kid from a single parent family at a state school in West Sussex.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I had always known he was different and very bright, but this is off-the-scale clever.”

Jayden is now living with his gran, Marisa, in Woking and, as his legal guardian, she hopes to continue the work Kylee started to find him a scholarship to boarding school.

“He is a little genius. He is so talented and we don’t want it to go to waste,” she explained.

“Ormiston Six Villages Academy in Westergate have been trying to do their best but they can’t offer him what he could get out of a nice boarding school.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“He is registered as gifted and talented and Kylee had been looking at scholarships at several schools. He has sat several exams and Lancing College does have a place because he passed.”

The family is now going through the process of applying for a scholarship to Lancing College, which will be considered in the new year.

Marisa said: “He is so excited, he wants to go so much. Lancing College is his top choice.”

Sister Torrin, nine, is now living in Reading with her Aunt Lacy, who will become her legal guardian.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Marisa explained: “Lacy has a boy of six and girl of three, so Lacy is now their big sister and she never had a father before but now has one. She has a place at the same school as her cousin and is looking forward to joining the girls’ football team there.

“They are being very brave. I have other grandchildren and we are trying to keep it as normal as possible for them over the Christmas period.”

Torrin, who plays on the Worthing Chess Club junior team, is the UK under-nine chess champion and was expected to play for England. She was also a chorister at Arundel Cathedral.

The family has organised a memorial service to be held at Reading Cemetery and Crematorium on Tuesday, December 29, at 2.15pm. People are asked to attend in bright clothes ‘to celebrate the festival of Kylee’s life’ and donate to the fund in lieu of flowers.

Visit The Kylee Bell Family Future Fund to make a donation.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1 – Make our website your homepage

2 – Like our Facebook pages

3 – Follow us on Twitter

4 – Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!

Sussex Newspapers – always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.

Related topics: