Mr. Kenneth Bell

March 21, 1925 - December 23, 2021

BELL, Mr. Kenneth - Age 96, passed away Thursday, December 23, 2021 at his residence. Family 10:30 AM Thursday, December 30, 2021 at Saints of God Church, 2200 Forrest Hill, with funeral service commencing at 11:00 AM, Pastor Alfred Harris Sr., officiating. Interment Friday, December 31, 2021 at Great Lakes National Cemetery, G-4200 Belford Dr., Holly, MI. Friends and pallbearers will assemble at the church 10:30 AM Thursday. Mr. Bell will lie in state in the Chapel of Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, 906 W. Flint Park Blvd., and may be viewed from 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM Wednesday. Mr. Kenneth Bell was born March 21, 1925 in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Otis and Marie (Kelly) Bell. Kenneth had 4 brothers and 1 sister. His family moved to Belleville, Michigan when he was young. The 6 Bell children were educated in a one room schoolhouse in Sumpter, MI. Mr. Bell and his siblings attended Pleasant Valley AME Church, a church that his mother founded in their home and later housed in it’s current location. In 1943, Kenneth joined the United State Army. He was trained and eventually sent to Germany. Kenneth Bell’s military qualification was Rifle Marksman, but he was only allowed to carry a stick because of his color. Mr. Bell was given orders to bulldoze the dead bodies of the Holocaust Victims. He followed the orders because of the threat of being shot and left to die in the concentration camp also. “All those people got killed for nothing”, daddy said with tears in his eyes. Although Mr. Bell’s discharge papers state that he was awarded the Bronze Star, which is given to soldiers for heroic acts in a combat zone. He never received it. After the war Mr. Bell worked at the Paragon Steel Plant in Wayne, MI where he retired in 1980. In 1991, he moved to Flint, Michigan to be closer to his children. Although he retired he did not sit down and fold his hands. He worked at Marion Crouse Instructional Center, North Star Baptist Church Security and delivered news papers. Dad often says, “you can’t just sit around with your hands folded, you either use it or lose it.” In 2015, Kenneth received the Outstanding Senior Award for his work with physically and mentally challenged children at Marion Crouse Instructional Center. Mr. Bell’s secrets to living a long life are, 1. Don’t smoke, 2. Try to eat right, 3. Don’t worry yourself to death. He says “my kid’s don’t worry me, I worry them!” His children say they admire their father’s work ethic, his sense of humor and his ability to adapt to change. On August 4, 2013 at the age of 87, Mr. Bell confessed Christ and joined Saints of God Church. On November 3, 2013 he was baptized by Pastor Alfred L. Harris Sr. and his son-in-law, Elder Ples Wyatt Jr. “I couldn’t remember if I accepted the Lord when I was a kid, or if I was just going to church because my mother told me to. I had to really make sure. When I am sitting here at church I feel like the Lord is sitting right here with me. I love church, I hate to miss a Sunday.” Mr. Bell was the oldest serving Foster Grandparent in Genesee, Lapeer and Shiawassee Counties. He had a very positive impact on the lives of many disabled children and their families for 29 years. On Thursday, December 23, 2021 at the age of 96, Grandpa Kenny transitioned to his heavenly home. Mr. Kenneth Bell leaves to cherish his memory: 4 daughters, Janice (Terry) Welsh, Tressa Bell Burton, LaDonna (Elder Ples) Wyatt and Ruth-Ann J. Thompson; 2 sons, Nathan (Susan) Bell and Andre (Angela) Bell; grandchildren, Tina, Dwhyte, Danielle, Anthony, Jai, Jade, Sharena, Isadore Lee, Nathan, Athea, Ples III, Austin and Alexandria; great-grandchildren, Mariah, Brooklynn, Pierce, Reece, Aniyah, Alailah, Andre, Ava, Amir, Aden, Dwhyte Jr., Doreon, Corey and Jazmine; great-great-grandson, Michael Gabriel; special friend, Mary. He will be greatly missed but never forgotten. Mr. Bell was preceded in death by his son, Isadore Bell; grandson, Brandon Williams; parents, Otis and Marie Bell; and siblings, Evelyn Duncan, Chester Bell Sr., Theodore Bell, Edward Bell and Otis Bell Jr.