William Hansel “Bubba” Bell died November 11, 2009, in Vallejo CA. He was born November 28, 1942, in Rocky Mount NC and grew up in Aulander NC. He was the son of Earl P. Bell and Alice P. Bell, both deceased. He is survived by his wife, Nagako, of the home in Benicia, two sons: Lukas Bell of Nevada City CA, and Cassidy Bell, of Fairfax CA; one grandson, Cody Bell of Fairfax CA. Also surviving; one brother, Earl P. Bell, Jr., (Donna) of Olympia Fields IL and one sister, Mary Alice Bragg (Dr. David) of Burlington; two nephews: Timothy Bell of Chicago IL and Dr. Cristopher Bragg of Boston MA. He was predeceased by a niece, Karen Bell of Chicago. He is also survived by his dearest lifelong friend, Jerry G. Banks, of Columbia NC.
A veteran of the U.S. Army, he was a Russian translator, stationed in Garmisch, Bavaria. He returned to San Francisco and lived in the bay area for the remainder of his life. He was retired from the San Francisco Transit Authority, where he worked with the Trolley Car system.
A memorial service will be held at Garrett Funeral Home, Ahoskie, NC, on December 5, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. Following the service there will be a reception at the Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 310 Catherine Creek Road, Ahoskie, NC.
To honor his love of the outer banks and surrounding waterways, the family suggests memorials be sent in his memory to the Ocean Conservancy, 1300 19th Street, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20036.