From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Friday, February 10, 2006:
FORT WORTH - Merle Wilson Bell, 88, died Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006.
Memorial service: 2 p.m. Saturday at Thompson's Harveson & Cole Funeral Home. Terry Enns, pastor of Grace Bible Church, will officiate.
Merle spent over 60 years as a self-educated and gifted commercial artist. He was raised in Austin, where he graduated from Austin High School and spent one year attending the University of Texas. His career began in his mid-teens designing and painting movie marquees for movie theaters in early Austin. After his marriage to Nellie Margaret Kinney in 1939, he came to Fort Worth and began his career at Vultee Aircraft Corp. where he was engaged in designing technical parts catalogs for aircraft. Following the war, he was partner in The Art Shop. until his association with Glenn Advertising in the mid-1950s where he was vice president in charge of Fort Worth operations until 1969. During that period, he was the recipient of two Top Hat awards for creative advertising as well as acquiring a lifetime association of friends. His later career included employment with Pierce-Davis Associates of Arlington, followed by years of independent contract work.
He will be remembered by his family and friends for his many creative abilities and his untiring curiosity and pursuit to learn and explore. He loved reading, photography, hunting, electronics, gardening, woodworking, building a 1927 Mercedes replica automobile and the University of Texas Longhorns football!
Merle was preceded in death by his wife, Nellie, in 2004; his oldest daughter, Margaret Ann Shilling, in 1997; his son, William Wilson Bell, in 1998; his grandson, William Bradley Bell, in 1996; and his daughter-in-law, Kay Johns Bell, in 1996.
Survivors: His daughter, Patricia Brown and her husband, David, of Granbury; grandchildren, Steven Lee Shilling, M.D., of Irving, Lea Ann Shilling of Arlington, Nathan Shilling and his wife, Kirsten, of Austin, Julie Margaret Lowe and her husband, Roger Lowe Jr., of Littlefield and David Aaron Brown and his wife, Kara, of Keller; and great-grandchildren, Tatum Margaret Lowe, Trip (Roger Lowe III), Brendan Aaron Brown, Zachary Wilson Shilling and Kaitlyn Margaret Gayle Shilling.
From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Saturday, February 11, 2006:
FORT WORTH — Merle Wilson Bell, said a former colleague, forgot more about advertising than most people in advertising will ever know.
Mr. Bell, 88, who died Thursday of pulmonary disease, is remembered as an all-around advertising pro who did everything from managing accounts to writing copy to designing ads to taking the photos for them. Advertising and commercial art, friends and relatives say, were both his profession and his passion, and he worked with boundless energy, enthusiasm and attention to detail.
"He was a super, super guy," said Roy McDermott, a retired advertising manager for Fort Worth National Bank who worked closely with Mr. Bell from 1950 to the mid-'60s. "He was so inquisitive about everything."
Mr. Bell's abilities as an artist were all the more impressive because he was self-taught. He started out hand-painting movie marquees in Austin as a teen-ager, said his daughter, Patricia Brown.
On May 19, 1939, he married Nellie Margaret Kinney. After a year at the University of Texas at Austin, he moved to Fort Worth in 1942 or 1943 and designed and wrote manuals for Vultee Aircraft Corp.
Later in the '40s, Mr. Bell worked for The Artshop in downtown Fort Worth before being hired by Glenn Advertising. There, he worked as a commercial artist and an account manager. Among Glenn's major clients were Fort Worth National Bank, Texas Industries and General Dynamics.
"He thought he could do anything," said Brown, who remembers her father taking years to assemble a replica of a 1927 Mercedes-Benz from a kit. "At one point, he built several TVs and radios and a stereo, and the cabinet for the stereo. His attention to detail was incredible."
McDermott remembers working closely with Mr. Bell, who also wrote the bank's annual reports several times. The bank's relationship with Glenn was "wonderful because of him."
Longtime family friend Pat Abels said Mr. Bell was a "delightful, warm human being. The mental agility just flew with him. He was just a good soul."
In the '70s and '80s, Mr. Bell worked for Pierce-Davis Associates of Arlington.
Former President Charlie Davis remembers Mr. Bell as "a highly creative man and the smartest person I've ever known."
Nellie Bell died exactly two years before Mr. Bell, on Feb. 9, 2004.
"We thought there is something kind of sweet about that," Brown said.
Mr. Bell is also survived by several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
FORT WORTH - Merle Wilson Bell, 88, died Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006.
Memorial service: 2 p.m. Saturday at Thompson's Harveson & Cole Funeral Home. Terry Enns, pastor of Grace Bible Church, will officiate.
Merle spent over 60 years as a self-educated and gifted commercial artist. He was raised in Austin, where he graduated from Austin High School and spent one year attending the University of Texas. His career began in his mid-teens designing and painting movie marquees for movie theaters in early Austin. After his marriage to Nellie Margaret Kinney in 1939, he came to Fort Worth and began his career at Vultee Aircraft Corp. where he was engaged in designing technical parts catalogs for aircraft. Following the war, he was partner in The Art Shop. until his association with Glenn Advertising in the mid-1950s where he was vice president in charge of Fort Worth operations until 1969. During that period, he was the recipient of two Top Hat awards for creative advertising as well as acquiring a lifetime association of friends. His later career included employment with Pierce-Davis Associates of Arlington, followed by years of independent contract work.
He will be remembered by his family and friends for his many creative abilities and his untiring curiosity and pursuit to learn and explore. He loved reading, photography, hunting, electronics, gardening, woodworking, building a 1927 Mercedes replica automobile and the University of Texas Longhorns football!
Merle was preceded in death by his wife, Nellie, in 2004; his oldest daughter, Margaret Ann Shilling, in 1997; his son, William Wilson Bell, in 1998; his grandson, William Bradley Bell, in 1996; and his daughter-in-law, Kay Johns Bell, in 1996.
Survivors: His daughter, Patricia Brown and her husband, David, of Granbury; grandchildren, Steven Lee Shilling, M.D., of Irving, Lea Ann Shilling of Arlington, Nathan Shilling and his wife, Kirsten, of Austin, Julie Margaret Lowe and her husband, Roger Lowe Jr., of Littlefield and David Aaron Brown and his wife, Kara, of Keller; and great-grandchildren, Tatum Margaret Lowe, Trip (Roger Lowe III), Brendan Aaron Brown, Zachary Wilson Shilling and Kaitlyn Margaret Gayle Shilling.
From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Saturday, February 11, 2006:
FORT WORTH — Merle Wilson Bell, said a former colleague, forgot more about advertising than most people in advertising will ever know.
Mr. Bell, 88, who died Thursday of pulmonary disease, is remembered as an all-around advertising pro who did everything from managing accounts to writing copy to designing ads to taking the photos for them. Advertising and commercial art, friends and relatives say, were both his profession and his passion, and he worked with boundless energy, enthusiasm and attention to detail.
"He was a super, super guy," said Roy McDermott, a retired advertising manager for Fort Worth National Bank who worked closely with Mr. Bell from 1950 to the mid-'60s. "He was so inquisitive about everything."
Mr. Bell's abilities as an artist were all the more impressive because he was self-taught. He started out hand-painting movie marquees in Austin as a teen-ager, said his daughter, Patricia Brown.
On May 19, 1939, he married Nellie Margaret Kinney. After a year at the University of Texas at Austin, he moved to Fort Worth in 1942 or 1943 and designed and wrote manuals for Vultee Aircraft Corp.
Later in the '40s, Mr. Bell worked for The Artshop in downtown Fort Worth before being hired by Glenn Advertising. There, he worked as a commercial artist and an account manager. Among Glenn's major clients were Fort Worth National Bank, Texas Industries and General Dynamics.
"He thought he could do anything," said Brown, who remembers her father taking years to assemble a replica of a 1927 Mercedes-Benz from a kit. "At one point, he built several TVs and radios and a stereo, and the cabinet for the stereo. His attention to detail was incredible."
McDermott remembers working closely with Mr. Bell, who also wrote the bank's annual reports several times. The bank's relationship with Glenn was "wonderful because of him."
Longtime family friend Pat Abels said Mr. Bell was a "delightful, warm human being. The mental agility just flew with him. He was just a good soul."
In the '70s and '80s, Mr. Bell worked for Pierce-Davis Associates of Arlington.
Former President Charlie Davis remembers Mr. Bell as "a highly creative man and the smartest person I've ever known."
Nellie Bell died exactly two years before Mr. Bell, on Feb. 9, 2004.
"We thought there is something kind of sweet about that," Brown said.
Mr. Bell is also survived by several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Friday, February 10, 2006:
FORT WORTH - Merle Wilson Bell, 88, died Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006.
Memorial service: 2 p.m. Saturday at Thompson's Harveson & Cole Funeral Home. Terry Enns, pastor of Grace Bible Church, will officiate.
Merle spent over 60 years as a self-educated and gifted commercial artist. He was raised in Austin, where he graduated from Austin High School and spent one year attending the University of Texas. His career began in his mid-teens designing and painting movie marquees for movie theaters in early Austin. After his marriage to Nellie Margaret Kinney in 1939, he came to Fort Worth and began his career at Vultee Aircraft Corp. where he was engaged in designing technical parts catalogs for aircraft. Following the war, he was partner in The Art Shop. until his association with Glenn Advertising in the mid-1950s where he was vice president in charge of Fort Worth operations until 1969. During that period, he was the recipient of two Top Hat awards for creative advertising as well as acquiring a lifetime association of friends. His later career included employment with Pierce-Davis Associates of Arlington, followed by years of independent contract work.
He will be remembered by his family and friends for his many creative abilities and his untiring curiosity and pursuit to learn and explore. He loved reading, photography, hunting, electronics, gardening, woodworking, building a 1927 Mercedes replica automobile and the University of Texas Longhorns football!
Merle was preceded in death by his wife, Nellie, in 2004; his oldest daughter, Margaret Ann Shilling, in 1997; his son, William Wilson Bell, in 1998; his grandson, William Bradley Bell, in 1996; and his daughter-in-law, Kay Johns Bell, in 1996.
Survivors: His daughter, Patricia Brown and her husband, David, of Granbury; grandchildren, Steven Lee Shilling, M.D., of Irving, Lea Ann Shilling of Arlington, Nathan Shilling and his wife, Kirsten, of Austin, Julie Margaret Lowe and her husband, Roger Lowe Jr., of Littlefield and David Aaron Brown and his wife, Kara, of Keller; and great-grandchildren, Tatum Margaret Lowe, Trip (Roger Lowe III), Brendan Aaron Brown, Zachary Wilson Shilling and Kaitlyn Margaret Gayle Shilling.
From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Saturday, February 11, 2006:
FORT WORTH — Merle Wilson Bell, said a former colleague, forgot more about advertising than most people in advertising will ever know.
Mr. Bell, 88, who died Thursday of pulmonary disease, is remembered as an all-around advertising pro who did everything from managing accounts to writing copy to designing ads to taking the photos for them. Advertising and commercial art, friends and relatives say, were both his profession and his passion, and he worked with boundless energy, enthusiasm and attention to detail.
"He was a super, super guy," said Roy McDermott, a retired advertising manager for Fort Worth National Bank who worked closely with Mr. Bell from 1950 to the mid-'60s. "He was so inquisitive about everything."
Mr. Bell's abilities as an artist were all the more impressive because he was self-taught. He started out hand-painting movie marquees in Austin as a teen-ager, said his daughter, Patricia Brown.
On May 19, 1939, he married Nellie Margaret Kinney. After a year at the University of Texas at Austin, he moved to Fort Worth in 1942 or 1943 and designed and wrote manuals for Vultee Aircraft Corp.
Later in the '40s, Mr. Bell worked for The Artshop in downtown Fort Worth before being hired by Glenn Advertising. There, he worked as a commercial artist and an account manager. Among Glenn's major clients were Fort Worth National Bank, Texas Industries and General Dynamics.
"He thought he could do anything," said Brown, who remembers her father taking years to assemble a replica of a 1927 Mercedes-Benz from a kit. "At one point, he built several TVs and radios and a stereo, and the cabinet for the stereo. His attention to detail was incredible."
McDermott remembers working closely with Mr. Bell, who also wrote the bank's annual reports several times. The bank's relationship with Glenn was "wonderful because of him."
Longtime family friend Pat Abels said Mr. Bell was a "delightful, warm human being. The mental agility just flew with him. He was just a good soul."
In the '70s and '80s, Mr. Bell worked for Pierce-Davis Associates of Arlington.
Former President Charlie Davis remembers Mr. Bell as "a highly creative man and the smartest person I've ever known."
Nellie Bell died exactly two years before Mr. Bell, on Feb. 9, 2004.
"We thought there is something kind of sweet about that," Brown said.
Mr. Bell is also survived by several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
FORT WORTH - Merle Wilson Bell, 88, died Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006.
Memorial service: 2 p.m. Saturday at Thompson's Harveson & Cole Funeral Home. Terry Enns, pastor of Grace Bible Church, will officiate.
Merle spent over 60 years as a self-educated and gifted commercial artist. He was raised in Austin, where he graduated from Austin High School and spent one year attending the University of Texas. His career began in his mid-teens designing and painting movie marquees for movie theaters in early Austin. After his marriage to Nellie Margaret Kinney in 1939, he came to Fort Worth and began his career at Vultee Aircraft Corp. where he was engaged in designing technical parts catalogs for aircraft. Following the war, he was partner in The Art Shop. until his association with Glenn Advertising in the mid-1950s where he was vice president in charge of Fort Worth operations until 1969. During that period, he was the recipient of two Top Hat awards for creative advertising as well as acquiring a lifetime association of friends. His later career included employment with Pierce-Davis Associates of Arlington, followed by years of independent contract work.
He will be remembered by his family and friends for his many creative abilities and his untiring curiosity and pursuit to learn and explore. He loved reading, photography, hunting, electronics, gardening, woodworking, building a 1927 Mercedes replica automobile and the University of Texas Longhorns football!
Merle was preceded in death by his wife, Nellie, in 2004; his oldest daughter, Margaret Ann Shilling, in 1997; his son, William Wilson Bell, in 1998; his grandson, William Bradley Bell, in 1996; and his daughter-in-law, Kay Johns Bell, in 1996.
Survivors: His daughter, Patricia Brown and her husband, David, of Granbury; grandchildren, Steven Lee Shilling, M.D., of Irving, Lea Ann Shilling of Arlington, Nathan Shilling and his wife, Kirsten, of Austin, Julie Margaret Lowe and her husband, Roger Lowe Jr., of Littlefield and David Aaron Brown and his wife, Kara, of Keller; and great-grandchildren, Tatum Margaret Lowe, Trip (Roger Lowe III), Brendan Aaron Brown, Zachary Wilson Shilling and Kaitlyn Margaret Gayle Shilling.
From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Saturday, February 11, 2006:
FORT WORTH — Merle Wilson Bell, said a former colleague, forgot more about advertising than most people in advertising will ever know.
Mr. Bell, 88, who died Thursday of pulmonary disease, is remembered as an all-around advertising pro who did everything from managing accounts to writing copy to designing ads to taking the photos for them. Advertising and commercial art, friends and relatives say, were both his profession and his passion, and he worked with boundless energy, enthusiasm and attention to detail.
"He was a super, super guy," said Roy McDermott, a retired advertising manager for Fort Worth National Bank who worked closely with Mr. Bell from 1950 to the mid-'60s. "He was so inquisitive about everything."
Mr. Bell's abilities as an artist were all the more impressive because he was self-taught. He started out hand-painting movie marquees in Austin as a teen-ager, said his daughter, Patricia Brown.
On May 19, 1939, he married Nellie Margaret Kinney. After a year at the University of Texas at Austin, he moved to Fort Worth in 1942 or 1943 and designed and wrote manuals for Vultee Aircraft Corp.
Later in the '40s, Mr. Bell worked for The Artshop in downtown Fort Worth before being hired by Glenn Advertising. There, he worked as a commercial artist and an account manager. Among Glenn's major clients were Fort Worth National Bank, Texas Industries and General Dynamics.
"He thought he could do anything," said Brown, who remembers her father taking years to assemble a replica of a 1927 Mercedes-Benz from a kit. "At one point, he built several TVs and radios and a stereo, and the cabinet for the stereo. His attention to detail was incredible."
McDermott remembers working closely with Mr. Bell, who also wrote the bank's annual reports several times. The bank's relationship with Glenn was "wonderful because of him."
Longtime family friend Pat Abels said Mr. Bell was a "delightful, warm human being. The mental agility just flew with him. He was just a good soul."
In the '70s and '80s, Mr. Bell worked for Pierce-Davis Associates of Arlington.
Former President Charlie Davis remembers Mr. Bell as "a highly creative man and the smartest person I've ever known."
Nellie Bell died exactly two years before Mr. Bell, on Feb. 9, 2004.
"We thought there is something kind of sweet about that," Brown said.
Mr. Bell is also survived by several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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