Brooks Wheeler Bell's Obituary
Brooks W. Bell, 86, was called home by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on June 24, 2024. He passed suddenly in his home in Brenham, Texas. He was the youngest of five boys born to George Morrison Bell Sr. and Dana Iva (Bluejacket) Bell. Brooks was born Sep. 14, 1937, in Nowata, Oklahoma. Soon thereafter, his family moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma where they remained. When he was three years old, he was one of many who was diagnosed with Typhoid Fever. When he got older, he attended Jefferson Elementary and Central Jr. High. As he would tell it, he had to walk to school uphill both ways in the snow with holes in his shoes. He graduated from College High School in Bartlesville in 1955. After high school he went on to attend Oklahoma A&M College which later became Oklahoma State University. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in A&S (Arts and Science) in Mathematics. He then went on to receive his Master's of Science in Statistics where he graduated in 1962. He was a member of the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha. He was also a member of the fraternity Pi Mu Epsilon which is dedicated to students who successfully pursue mathematics.
While in college, he was set up on a blind date with Jo Ann (Lea). He was so smitten, that within two weeks he asked her to marry him. They lived in married student housing on campus. As they would tell it, they were so poor they lived on iced tea and pickles and played a lot of cards. Soon after college graduation, they moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to work for Sandia National Laboratories. After several years in New Mexico, he moved the family to Dallas, Texas where he worked for TI (Texas Instruments). He then worked for REI (Recognition Equipment) which later became Banc Tec. He was very active in his kids’ sports activities. He was a little league baseball and football coach in the SVAA (Spring Valley Athletic Association), where he was awarded SVAA Baseball Coach of the Year in 1974. He also was a girls’ soccer coach. He enjoyed woodworking, fishing and squirrel hunting. He also loved listening to the Dallas Cowboy games in the garage while playing ping pong with his children. He also enjoyed listening to opera singer, Mario Lanza. In 2007, he survived a near fatal bout of West Nile Virus where he was in a coma for 2 weeks. His loving wife of 65 years, Jo Ann, nursed him back to health. During his coma, Brooks talked of experiencing a near death experience. It made his already strong faith in Christ magnified and even stronger. He tried to share his testimony to anyone who would listen. His love and faith in Christ was unwavering. He later enjoyed going to men’s bible study and attending the men’s Saturday breakfast gathering for fellowship.
He was a loving and loyal husband and father. He self-proclaimed himself as “Mr. Wonderful” and that was what he was known as. If you asked him how he was, he was always wonderful or super fantastic. He was always by Jo Ann’s side, lovingly, dutifully and loyally until her death in 2022. He was the perfect example of Ephesians 5:25. After Jo Ann’s death, Brooks moved closer to his eldest son in Brenham, Texas. Brooks passed away unexpectedly while living at Kruse Village in Brenham, Texas.
Brooks is survived by his three children, Sam (Karen) Bell of Brenham, Texas, Joe Bell of Rowlett, Texas and Rene’ (Brandon) Gollaher of Weston, Colorado. Five grandchildren, Jeremy (Katie) Bell, Justin (Whitney) Bell, Dakota (Amanda) Bell, Brooke Gollaher and Bailee Gollaher. Nine great grandchildren and two step great grandchildren, his brother Watie Bell, sister-in-law Janet Bell and many nieces and nephews.
Brooks is preceded in death by his parents George and Dana Bell, three brothers, Roger (Aileen) Bell, Pat (JoAnn) Bell, Drake Bell, sister-in-law Virginia Bell and grandson, Jeffrey Alan Bell.
Funeral services are scheduled for 10 am on Friday, July 5, 2024, in the Wildwood Chapel at Restland Memorial Park in Dallas, Texas. Family will receive friends one hour prior to the funeral.
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