Charles E. Bell

Charles Emory Bell of Fort Smith, Arkansas, passed from this life on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, two days shy of his 92nd birthday. Charles was the deeply beloved husband of Lillie Lucille "Lucy" Bell for 55 years, and the father of four daughters, Debbie, Patti, Laurie, and Cindy. Charles was a resident of Fort Smith for 35 years, settling there in 1990 with Lucy.

Charles, or "Charlie" as friends knew him, was born January 23, 1934 in Refugio, Texas. Charles' parents were Hamilton and Norma Bell of Beaumont, Texas.

Charles and Lucy met in Memphis, Tennessee. They married in Sacramento, California on July 10, 1970, three years to the day after their first date. They traveled around the country for Charles' career with the United States Air Force and Beverly Enterprises. At the time, Beverly was the nation's "largest provider of post-acute healthcare services at skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers," and Charles served as Beverly's Director of Transportation and Chief Pilot.

Charles first earned his private pilot's license in 1962. He held FAA certificates as an Airline Transport Pilot, as a Flight Instructor including single and multi-engine airplanes, and as an Airframe and Powerplant Airplane Mechanic. He also held an FAA certificate as a DPE, or Designated Pilot Examiner, which permitted him to administer flight tests ("checkrides") as the final step before student pilots and existing pilots are granted licenses and advanced ratings. His greatest achievement was being named an FAA Wright Brothers "Master Pilot" Award in 2012, which "recognizes pilots who have demonstrated professionalism, skill and aviation expertise by maintaining safe flight operations for 50 or more years." Recipients are recognized in the Wright Brothers "Master Pilot" Award Roll of Honor. In addition, he received numerous awards while in the USAF. In 2015, he was recognized for piloting a twin-engine company plane that collided with a flock of birds on takeoff, causing a flame-out. He and his copilot were able to change procedures for flying the aircraft with only one engine and safely returned to the airport, giving full credit to Flight Safety in Wichita, Kansas. He served as a commissioner on the Fort Smith Regional Airport Commission in Fort Smith, Arkansas for six years from July 1997 until August 2003. Charles retired from the USAF in 1974 after 21 years and from Beverly in 2018 after 23 years.

Charles is survived by his beloved wife Lillie Lucille Bell, known by all as "Lucy." In addition, he is survived by his four daughters, Debora Foor, Laura Bell-Burkett (husband Craig), Patti Donophan (husband Carl), all of Dover, Delaware, and by Cindy Rust of Milford, Delaware, by eight of his daughters' nine children, 14 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. One grandson, Michael Miller, died in 2008. Charles is also survived by his sister, Carol Ann Harmon of Las Vegas, Nevada, and her children Curtis and Kari. He is also survived by his sisterin-law Sybil Kindig of Memphis, Tennessee and by numerous nieces and nephews on Lucy's side, including Cindy Higginbottom of Dallas, Texas, Glenda Gore of Nashville, Tennessee, Patricia Hill of Memphis, Tennessee, and Terri Wilson of Panama City, Florida.

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