Lawrence L. Bell

Dec. 2, 1921 - March 11, 1999

Lawrence "Larry" Bell, 77, of Phoenix, Ariz., was born on Dec. 2, 1921, in Little Rock, Ark., to Frank and Dena (Montgomery) Bell. He departed this life following an illness at 12 p.m. on Thursday, March 11, in the Phoenix Veterans Hospital. Larry was preceded in death by his father, Frank Bell; his mother, Dena (Gran) Bell; his brothers, John C. ("JC") and Alvin ("Bean") Bell; and by his nephew, William ("Billy") Ellis.

Mr. Bell was educated in the South Bend school system, attending Benjamin Harrison School and graduating from Central High School. While growing up on the west side Larry had a smile that would light up the world, was always a gentleman, and had a love of dance music that made him a very popular and favorite dance partner. These traits never left Larry as he matured; his charm and grace remained with him. Following graduation Larry entered the U.S. Army, serving in Italy and North Africa.

Upon his honorable discharge from the Army he traveled extensively in Europe before returning to South Bend. He moved to Kalamazoo, Mich., to attend Western Michigan University. While in Kalamazoo, Larry worked for the U.S. Postal Service during the Christmas holiday and moved to Detroit when the opportunity came to work full time on the "mail trains" between Buffalo, N.Y., Detroit Mich., and Chicago, Ill. Larry remained with the postal service until his retirement in 1977.

Larry retired to San Miguel, Mexico, for three years before making his permanent residence in Phoenix. Larry is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Jerda and William "Bill" Ellis, and a sister-inlaw, Nola J. Bell; four nieces, Judith (Bill) Williams of Carson, Calif., Marcella Ellis of South Bend, Gayle Ellis of Las Vegas, Nev., and Karen Bell of South Bend; a nephew, John C. Bell, Jr., of South Bend; and by many other grand-nieces, grand-nephews, relatives and friends.

Larry had remained a bachelor, but amassed many friends in South Bend, Detroit and Phoenix.

Source: Newspapers.com

10/28/2024 EJS