Graham Bell

1937 - 2019

Chapel Hill — Graham Alonzo Bell, 81, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend to many, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on January 3, 2019, at UNC Hospital.
Graham was born on December 16, 1937, in Elizabeth City, NC, to Graham Whitehurst Bell and Fannie Owens Bell. He graduated from Fork Union Military Academy in 1955 and afterward from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He married Mary Rose Cooper in 1958 and, after graduating, went to work with his father at Commercial and Industrial Bank which was eventually acquired by NCNB later known as NationsBank and now Bank of America. After retiring from the bank, he managed Liebers Sanitation until it was purchased by Waste Management. He also developed commercial properties and managed some of them.
Graham enjoyed spending time with his family and traveling with friends. He was fond of saying, "Not all who wander are lost." He never left home without a backroads map and often preferred to take the road less traveled.
An avid Tar Heels fan, Graham enjoyed sharing his football and basketball tickets with family and friends. His last days were spent in a hospital room with a view of the campus he dearly loved.
Graham was a member of the Kiwanis Club of Fayetteville. He also served on the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation and Advisory Boards.
As an active member of Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, Graham served as a Deacon, Sunday School teacher, with the carpentry ministry, and on numerous committees over the years. He looked forward to the Tuesday morning prayer group and serving breakfast at Operation Inasmuch.
Left to cherish his memory are his children Graham Whitehurst Bell II (Gray) and wife Mariluz Carrion Bell; Stephen Scott Bell; Elizabeth Rose Bell; grandchildren Stephen Michael Deininger-Bell, Blake Allen Collier, Cooper Chamberlain Bell, Rhiannon Elizabeth Bell, Chamberlain Elizabeth Collier, Payton Rose Collier, Arianna Ashton Fuller-Bell, and Maria
Rose Bell; sister Mary Owens Bell Fitzgerald; sister-in-law Margaret Jane Cooper Clemmons and husband, Thruston Clemmons Jr;; and numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins.
Graham leaves an amazing Christian testimony to his children and grandchildren of God's redemptive and healing power (To God be the glory!), but he also leaves a great void in our lives. We take comfort in knowing that we will see him again and will spend eternity with him.
A celebration of Graham's life will be held at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church on Saturday, January 12, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. The family will receive friends in the church Gathering Hall following the service
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Fayetteville Area Operation.