Herbert Wilson Bell

Herbert W. Bell

Born in 1922 in Yonkers, New York to Herbert W. Bell Sr. and Ruth Moshier, he graduated from Taft School, and after two years at Williams College, he enlisted in the Army Signal Corps during World War II and spent two and a half years in the Mediterranean Theater of operations as a Teletype-Code Clerk. After the War, he returned to Williams, where in his senior year he was president of the Undergraduate Council, President of the Gargoyle Honorary Society, and Captain of the wrestling team.

Following graduation, he joined the McGraw-Hill Book Company as a college textbook salesman. He served in a variety of sales, editorial and managerial functions and was Senior Vice President for Administration when he retired at 58. During those years, he was active in book industry affairs, including the establishment of a book industry shipping association, and chairing an industry committee to establish a coding system for all book industry accounts. After retirement, he and his wife moved to Oak Island, NC, where he spent a year as a book industry consultant, wrote a book, “How to Get Your Book Published”, served on the Town Planning Committee, and the Board of the Brunswick County FEMA, and the executive committee of the Cape Fear Area United Way. In 2002, he and his wife moved to the Bethlehem area of Alexander County, NC and in 2016 moved to Siler City, NC.

He leaves over three dozen oil paintings currently held by family members, and nine unpublished short stories, all created during his retirement years. He is survived by his wife, Daisy Meade Bell of the home, his son Christoher G. Bell (Jo Taliaferro), of Fearrington Village, NC who was born of his first wife, Shirley E. Welch, of Ottawa Canada, who predeceased him, and by two grandchildren, Andrea Bell (James Smolka) of Bloomfield, NJ and Eric Bell of Roseville, MN and one great-grandchild Owen Smolka of Bloomfield, NJ. And by Daisy Meade’s family, daughter Elizabeth Thorn of Pittsboro, NC and George Kouba of Wilmington, NC and by grandchildren Adrian Thorn (Lacee Monte), Ryan Thorn (Jessica), and Rachael Thorn all of Siler City, NC, and Jeremy Kouba (Suzanne) of Charleston, SC and Annie Elizabeth Kouba of Charleston, SC and Emily Kouba of Raleigh, NC and Meghan McMahan of Raleigh NC and Dylan McMahan (Wayne Ford) of Hickory, NC.

Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Bell family.

Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh.com