Joel Judson Bell, Jr., age 91, Carthage, Mo. passed away Sunday evening, Jan. 5, 2020, at Mercy Hospital in Joplin, Mo.
Joel was born March 31, 1928 in Granby, Mo., to the late Joel Judson Bell, Sr. and Minnie Elizabeth (Johnson) Bell. He was a 1946 graduate of Granby High School and later received his bachelor’s degree from Southwest Missouri State and his Master’s in Education from the University of Missouri. Joel was a veteran, serving his country in the U.S. Navy. Joel married Betty Lou Tuggle on Aug. 10, 1952, in Granby, Mo.; she survives. He was a social studies teacher in Granby from 1950-1951, and then taught Sociology, Economics, Consumer Education, Anthropology and World History at Carthage High School for 29 years. Joel was an accomplished trumpet player and avid fisherman. He was a member of the Granby Masonic Lodge No. 514.
Additional survivors include one daughter, Vicki Grider (Lee), Monkey Island, Oklahoma; and one son, Greg Bell (Mary), Fort Wayne, Indiana.
He was preceded in death by a grandson, Jack Bell; and a brother, Jackie Bell.
Visitation will be held 6-7 pm, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, at Knell Mortuary, Carthage. Funeral services will be held 10 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020 at Knell Mortuary. Interment will follow at Granby Memorial Cemetery, Granby. Memorial gifts are suggested to the Salvation Army, Carthage in care of Knell Mortuary.
Online condolences may be expressed through www.knellmortuary.com. Arrangements are under the direction and personal care of Knell Mortuary.
