Obituary of Willis E. Bell

WILLIS EDWARD BELL, 93, of Port Charlotte, passed away Monday, October 31, 2011, at Signature Health Center. He was the beloved husband of the late Lois Ann (Lynch) Bell. Born in Latrobe, PA, on July 14, 1918, he was a son of the late Frank and Edna (Hughes) Bell. Mr. Bell graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1943 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He served as a 1st Lieutenant in the Signal Corps of the United States Army during WW II. During his career he was the Chief Signal Engineer of the Erie Lackawanna Railway and later the Chief Engineer for Communications and Signals at the United States Railway Association. He completed his career as Project Manager for Gibbs and Hill, Inc. in Washington D.C. designing and implementing the current Metro System (WMATA). Willis and Lois retired to Port Charlotte, FL in 1983. He was a member of the Rochester, PA, Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons, became a Prince of the Royal Secret 32° in the Valley of Harrisburg, PA, of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite and a member of the Imperial Council of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine for North America in Boumi Temple of Baltimore, MD. He is survived by his 4 children: Thomas E. Bell of Houston, TX, Craig W. Bell and his wife Claudia of Indianapolis, IN, Susan A. Miner and her husband Frederic of Atkinson, NH, and Barbara Mills and her husband Mike of Glenville, PA. He also was the grandfather of Beatrix Bell and her husband Robert Pell of New Orleans, LA, Bryant Bell of New Orleans, LA, Erika (Mills) McMullin and her husband Justan of Baltimore, MD, Kyle Mills of Vista, CA, and Dale Mills of Philadelphia, PA. He was the brother of Frank Donald Bell of Allison Park, PA, and the late Eleanore Hughes Williams. The family will receive friends on Friday, November 4, 2011, from 10-11:00 AM, at Charlotte Memorial Funeral Home, 9400 Indian Springs Road. A celebration of life will follow at 11:00 AM. Willis will be laid to rest with his wife.