Bell, Loren Oliver 1933-2015

BELL, PEARCE, SHEPARD, BENTON, HAERR

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 8/7/2015 at 15:35:19

Loren Oliver Bell was born in Grinnell, IA on Dec. 8, 1933, the son of Clarence Virgil Bell and Helen Mae Pearce Bell.

Loren was raised in Malcom, IA and graduated from Grinnell High School in 1951. In 1953 he enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he reached the rank of staff sergeant. After his time in the Air Force, Loren began his 28-year career with the Hughes Aircraft Company as a quality engineer. Following his retirement from Hughes Aircraft in 1989, he began buying and managing property rentals. Loren subsequently started his final career with J.B. Hunt Transportation in the early 1990s as a truck driver and retired in 2002.

Throughout his life, Loren took an interest in many hobbies, including traveling, fixing cars, boating, and flying, and the latter in which he received a private pilot license. He also enjoyed listening to jazz music, watching football, baseball, and motorcycle and car racing. Loren was an incredibly intelligent and talented person, with his best known traits being his generosity, selflessness, and amazingly kind heart. He will forever be loved and dearly missed by all those who knew him.

Loren is survived by his brother, Larry Bell; his four children, Rebecca Shepard, Jana Benton, Rita Haerr, and Andrew Bell; 10 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Gerald, Donald, and Howard Bell; and his son, Greg Bell.

Though we are saddened by the passing of Loren Oliver Bell on July 24, family and friends are also thankful that they were able to have someone so brilliant and loving in their lives. Whether intentional or not, Loren taught everyone around him invaluable life lessons and proved to be a true model of character. The world was blessed to have such a man as Loren and he will forever live on in our hearts and minds, bringing joy to all who had the privilege and pleasure of meeting him.

Dickey Mortuary was in charge of arrangements. ~ The Newton Daily News, Newton, Iowa 6 Aug 2015.