Marilyn bell swimmer biography for kids

Canadian long distance swimmer

Marilyn Grace Bell Di LascioOOnt (born October 19, 1937) is a Canadian retired long distance swimmer.

Marilyn bell swimmer biography for kids

She was the first person to swim across Lake Ontario and later swam the English Channel and Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Personal life

Bell was born in Toronto, Ontario, to parents Sydney and Grace Bell. The family moved to North Bay, Ontario, then Halifax, Nova Scotia, before returning to Toronto in 1946.

After her swimming career, Marilyn married Joe Di Lascio and moved to New Jersey, United States. They raised four children, Lisa, Michael, Jodi, and Janet, who were unaware of their mother's fame. Bell earned a BA, became an American citizen and was a teacher for over twenty years.

Lou Marsh Trophy(1954)

Joe Di Lascio died in September 2007. Bell later moved to New Paltz, New York.^[3]

Due to a back injury and scoliosis, Bell gave up swimming in the early 2000s and used a motorized chair to get around. She was able to return to swimming in 2016