HAMPDEN and VEAZIE – George “Will” Bell died May 20, 2012, after a long illness. Will was born Sept. 28, 1923, the son Villa (Bell) Hammond and George Bell.
Will was raised in Hampden and attended Hampden schools. He loved to tell stories of his adventures growing up near the Penobscot River and his many voyages as a young teenager with his friends in boats and on rafts. Will served his country proudly during World War II as a member of the U.S. Army’s European forces. Like many of his fellow members of the “Greatest Generation” he rarely spoke of his experiences during those difficult times. He was a member of Hampden Veterans of Foreign Wars and wore his World War II veteran hat proudly in public. Will retired from Bangor Housing Authority, where we worked as an electrician having previously worked for Dow Air Force Base for many years. Will enjoyed his time in the outdoors. He loved to garden, snowmobile, fish, hunt, canoe and motor along Upper Lead Mountain Pond in his prized Jackson boat. He spent many happy times at his camp on Upper Lead with family and friends. He enjoyed several trips to the Allagash to fish and dodge rain clouds. Will enjoyed time in his woodworking shop working on his next project or creation to share with his family and friends. Will also enjoyed the time he spent with his close friends and was the last survivor of the group of Ross Strang, Tex Strang, Dick Farrell and Ted Farrell.
Will is survived by his wife of 61 years, June (Getchell) Bell; his daughter, Cheryl (Bell) Monroe and her husband, Mike, of Veazie; and his son, Randy Bell of Aurora. Will has five grandchildren, Melissa (Monroe) Stone and her husband, Tom, Lyndsey (Monroe) Marston and her husband, Curtis, Amanda Bell, Jared Bell, and Amber (Bell) Blockler and her husband, Scott. Will also loved the time he spent teasing and playing with his new great-grandson, Noah Stone. Will was predeceased by his brother, Kenneth, in 1958.
Family and friends may visit 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, at Hampden-Gilpatrick Funeral Home, 45 Western Ave., Hampden, where a funeral service will be held 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 23, with the Rev. Dr. Tracy Reeves officiating. Interment will military honors will be at the conclusion of the service at Locust Grove Cemetery, Hampden. Memorial gifts in George’s honor may be made to Whitcomb-Baker VFW Post No. 4633, P.O. Box 555, Hampden, ME 04444-0555. Messages of condolence and memories may be shared through
www.hampdengilparick.com.