John Bell Jr. (October 4, 1937 – November 8, 2013) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

painter and sculptor whose career spanned nearly fifty years. Bell was born in

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

on October 4, 1937, the son of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

-born parents John Sr. and Lillian L. Bell (née Sweeten). He graduated from Northside High School and

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

in 1965. In August 2013, Bell was diagnosed with

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

. He subsequently died of the illness on November 8, 2013, aged 76, at his Fort Smith home. Bell was survived by his wife, Maxine, of fifty years, a daughter (born 1965), a granddaughter, and his brother.

Legacy

In 2022, the city of

approved the naming of a new park along Riverfront Drive after the late artist. John Bell Jr. Park will be 51 acres and include soccer fields, an inclusive playground, and options for future expansion.

References

1937 births 2013 deaths Deaths from cancer in Arkansas Deaths from stomach cancer in the United States 20th-century American painters American sculptors People from Fort Smith, Arkansas 21st-century American painters Sculptors from Arkansas {{US-painter-stub