John F. “Jack” Bell passed away peacefully of heart complications on Sunday February 10, 2019 at the Wyoming Medical Center in Casper, Wyoming with several friends by his bedside. He was born on December 7, 1939 in Springfield, Massachusetts to Evelyn (Morgan) Bell and Lt. Col. William I. Bell. Jack’s early years were spent in Springfield, Massachusetts and when Jack was 8 he moved to Wyoming where he spent the rest of his life and proudly called home.
Jack was a very hard worker and began his working career at a very young age at the veterinary office of Dr. James Summers in Lander, Wyoming. He enjoyed working with all animals at the clinic from small cats and dogs to large livestock animals like cows and horses and every sized animal between. Jack’s kind heart and compassionate nature was the perfect fit for helping injured and sick animals. They seemed to sense his genuine concern and willingly accepted his care.
When Jack was a little older, he began working for the prominent Case family in their drugstore, located at 3rd and Main in Lander. He enjoyed accomplishing various tasks at the drug store and enjoyed the social interaction of working with the customers. His hard-working nature soon caught the eye of the pioneer Baldwin family and he began working with Ted and Sally Baldwin in the historic M.N. Baldwin’s department store from the mid 1960’s to his retirement from the company in 2016.
In 1978, Jack became an employee of the Fremont County School District #1, taking on a fulltime position at Lander Valley High School, as a custodian for 28 years. Most anyone who attended or worked at LVHS remembers Jack working throughout the school with the other members of the custodial team. He would arrive at 3:00 in the afternoon and work until 11:00 pm keeping the school clean and fresh for all who were in the building. Jack enjoyed watching young freshman learn and grow into seniors. Upon their graduation, Jack often followed from afar the careers of many students as they moved through their lives.
Jack was an avid sports fan and passionately followed Major League football and baseball with a particularly keen eye on his favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, forever put-out that the Braves were originally a Boston franchise moved out of state. You could ask Jack any question pertaining to professional stats or who was playing when or where and Jack always had the correct answer. Jack traveled often to Atlanta and Denver to attend the games in person, enjoying popcorn and hot dogs while cheering on his team. He thoroughly enjoyed the 2007 World Series game in Denver with several close friends from Lander, where the Red Sox beat the Rockies. He was also a huge fan of the University of Wyoming football and basketball programs and always listened to the games on the radio, if was not in attendance at the stadium in Laramie.
Jack also had a passion for flying and aircraft of all sizes. He enjoyed several trips to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and several other aeronautical museums around the country. His love of travel and flight took Jack on many adventures, usually originating from the Riverton Airport and ending up in locations from coast to coast, even as far away as the Hawaiian islands.
Jack’s honest and kind nature created many long and lasting friendships with people from all walks of life. If you became a friend of Jack’s, you were a friend forever and there was nothing he wouldn’t do to help a friend in need.
At Jack’s request, there will be no funeral services, as he did not want any to be sad at his passing. He is to be buried in Agawam, Massachusetts in the Bell family plot, along side his parents and his brother William Walter Bell.
Jack is survived by his beloved cousin, Joan Whitehead and her husband Donald Whitehead of Agawam, Massachusetts, numerous second cousins, as well as countless friends across Wyoming. Jack’s life will always be held out as a life well-lived, no matter what adversity he encountered. A life that was shared selflessly with so many.