John Bell, Jr

John Bell, Jr., passed away Thursday, August 10, 2017, at the age of 93. John was born in Chester, PA on September 19, 1923 and grew up in Princeton, NJ. He and his family have been residents of Hoover, AL since March 1970.

After Princeton High School and Westminster College, he became manager of the Charleston, SC Naval Base Photography and Printing Department and later held a management position with Opinion Research Corporation in Princeton, NJ.

In 1946 he began his 41-year career with the Multigraph Division of A-M International in the Newark, NJ office, then in the Trenton, NJ office.

In 1961 he was promoted to Manager of the Chattanooga, TN office, and in 1967 he was promoted to Regional Manager in the Columbia, SC office, responsible for sales, service, and administration. In 1970 he was promoted as the multi-state manager of Birmingham, AL office, covering the Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi region with offices in Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, and Mobile.

He excelled in those areas and became the youngest of A-M International's outstanding achievers, responsible for elevating those offices from the bottom in productivity to the top in the country.

He achieved the prestigious "Hundred Club Life Membership Award" and exceeded that with five additional "Hundred Club" awards for a total of fifteen, becoming VP of that organization , including top manager in the US, Canada, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. He achieved additional awards prior to his retirement in 1987.

John was a member of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, Sales & Marketing Association, Administrative Management Society, Implant Management Association, VICA, and Green Valley Country Club (now Hoover Country Club), Hoover, AL, for 35 years.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Sarah Bell of Charleston, SC; and 2 sisters, Adeline Cima and Mary Cupples.

He cherished his family life and is survived by his loving wife of 69 years, Anne Bell; his daughter Susan Bell Brown; grandson Spencer J. Brown (Katie); 2 great grandsons, Gianni and Jeremy Brown, of Hoover, AL; his sisters, Edith Montano and Peggy Foster; his brother, Robert D. Bell, of Charleston, SC; plus several nieces and nephews.

A Funeral Mass is scheduled for 6 PM, Wednesday, August 16, 2017, at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Hoover. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to your favorite charity.

Funeral Mass