John C. Bell, Jr., 90, of Huron, passed away Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, at the SunQuest Healthcare Center.
His memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 9, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. Visitation with family present will be one hour prior to the memorial service on Saturday. Burial with military honors will be held at a later date at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Visit www.kuhlerfuneralhome.com
John Chapman Bell, Jr. was born May 16, 1927, to John C. and Mabel (Brugler) Bell. He attended school in the Twin Cities. John left school in his senior year to serve in the United States Marine Corps.
On May 3, 1958, John married Kathryn Mendel. She died July 1974.
John married Donna Dubro on Feb. 16, 1980, at Huron. She died in June 2011.
John spent his entire life in the car business. He started working at a Saint Paul, Minnesota filling station. He owned Bell Chevrolet Cadillac Inc. at Hastings, Minnesota. John worked 13 years at Pontiac Motor Division, upper Midwest region, rising to the level of District Manager at the Minneapolis, Minnesota zone office. He then entered into a partnership at Wolter-Bell Motors at Brookings. John later managed Schoon Motor Company at Rochester, Minnesota, until again achieving his dream of owning a dealership, Bell Motors Inc. at Huron. Even after his official retirement he continued to sell used cars.
John was a member of the VFW and the Elks Lodge. He enjoyed hunting pheasants and loved dogs, especially his three Saint Bernards. He was also a loyal sports fan of the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Twins. Most of all, he loved his time with his family and grandchildren.
John is survived by one daughter, Susan Bell of Burnsville, Minnesota; two sons, Thomas (Mary) Bell of Brookings and John C. Bell, III of Cottage Grove, Minnesota; six grandchildren, Dustin Bell of Brookings, Abby Bell of Brookings, Trevor Johnson of Burnsville, Minnesota, Casey (Liz) Bell of Brookings, John C. Bell IV of Cottage Grove, Minnesota and Eric Bell of Cottage Grove, Minnesota; two great-grandchildren, Peyton Bell and Greyson Bell, both of Brookings; one sister, Jean (Bruce) Ramsay of Apple Valley, Minnesota; and one brother, James (Marim) Bell of Tucson, Arizona.
