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Tell was a member of Greenwich Country Club and The Fairfield Group.
Born Feb. 27, 1934, in Evanston, Ill., to William and Virginia Tell and his family moved to Findlay, Ohio in 1945. He graduated from Findlay High School in 1952 and received a bachelor's degree in government from Dartmouth College in 1956. Tell later received a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1959.
A longtime employee of Texaco, he joined the legal department in 1963. He was transferred to the New York office in 1968 and was appointed associate general counsel in 1970. He was elected vice president in 1973.
The next year, Tell was placed in charge of Texaco's Washington, D.C., office. In 1979, he was elected senior vice president and in 1980, he became responsible for coordinating government affairs and relations, employee relations, corporate services and advertising.
Tell retired as senior vice president of Texaco in 1998 after 34 years. He wrote a book on the essential institutions of democracy, "Bridges Burning." He also served on the board of directors of Texaco Canada Inc. He was a director of the American Petroleum Institute, The National Association of Manufacturers and The National Foreign Trade Council.
He served on the executive committee and board of governors of the Foreign Policy Association, was a trustee of The Manhattan Institute and was a member of The National Council of Trustees and Alumni and The Nantucket Community Organization.
Tell is survived by his wife, Karen Nelson Tell; three children, Catherine Romer, of Wilton, Caroline Falk, of Cambridge, Mass., and William Frederic Tell, of Silver Spring, Md.; and six grandchildren.
He was predeceased by a brother, Arthur Charles Tell.
The Nov, 30 memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., at Christ Episcopal Church in Greenwich. A reception will follow in the parish hall. Hoyt Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association Norwalk Chapter or The Bridgeport Rescue Mission.
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