Carl Bell

Carl Gene Bell, 80, of Escondido, CA., passed away at his home on February 13, 2022. He is survived by his wife Patricia Bell; his daughters Jane Burk, Judy Schrader and her husband Paul, Alexandra Saint and her husband Ted, and Kristen Roberts and her husband Brayden; stepchildren Aaron Walker and his wife Marla, Anson Walker, and Jenny White and her husband Billy; along with his 16 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

Carl was born in Lafe, Arkansas on September 22, 1941 as the oldest child of Quesen Quartas Bell and Mayzell Alice (Bartlett) Bell. His family later moved to Albuquerque, NM, where he graduated from Sandia High School.

Carl became a high-profile radio DJ in the 1960s and 1970s. He was the Number 1 radio DJ in the market at KQEO, and later moved to KDEF and KRKE. After undergoing heart surgery for a replacement of a congenital aortic valve defect, he became interested in cardiac problems and began volunteering at Presbyterian Hospital 7-8 hours a day, first as an orderly in the operating room and then at the cath lab, before heading to his radio show.

Learning about his own heart condition sparked his second career in medicine. He began his self-study and later trained at Texas Heart Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to become a vital member of the cardiovascular surgical team as a perfusionist, running the heart/lung bypass machine. By the 1970s, he was Chief Perfusionist in hospitals in Albuquerque, and later in San Diego, CA until he retired in 1996.

Carl had a passion for ministry and serving his Lord Jesus. He was a member of the Kings Quartet, a gospel group, producing numerous albums and performing in churches across the United States.

He is predeceased by his parents; his siblings Judith Bell Crumby and Danny Ray Bell; and his granddaughter Kelsey Charlotte Burk. Carl will be remembered for his humor, outgoing personality, and his love of music and Jesus.

A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, July 3 at 2pm at the Ermert Funeral Home in Corning, AR. For those who are not able to attend in person, the service will be available on livestream. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to your local homeless shelter to honor Carl’s dedication to ministry with the homeless community, or to Growing Corning Together, C/O RiverBank 309 S. Missouri Ave. Corning, AR 72422.

For those who cannot personally attend, you may watch a livestream of his service at the following link https://youtube.com/c/CorningSportsReport