Willie Bell

Willie Joe Bell was born on October 18, 1963 in Texas to his parents Willie Joe Bell Sr. and Christine Bell. He was the 2nd oldest of 5 children born to this union. Willie was raised with his three brothers Christopher, Matthew and Anthony , as well as his sister Linda .

As  a child, Willie enjoyed working on cars with his father, riding bikes, dancing, and playing sports. Willie’s family later moved to Denver, Colorado in the mid 70’s, where he received his education through Denver Public Schools. He attended John F. Kennedy High School as well as Thomas Jefferson High School. Willie was diligent, and stayed committed to finishing his education, he therefore earned his GED one year later.

A lifelong passion, Willie took the skills that he learned working with his father as a child and had a successful career as a mechanic. Willie was blessed to work as an Assistant Manager at Grease Monkey and several private mechanic shops. Everyone in Denver knew that if you had issues with your car, you took it to Willie and he would figure it out.

To know Willie was to love him. One of his favorite sayings was “Put these balls”, and you know the rest. He was a jokester at heart, and one who loved to spend time hanging out with family and friends. If you needed to hear the truth, Willie would give it to you, he was just that kind of guy. You would often find him hanging out with his friends, Johnny Burts, Ericka Williams, Binki, James Jones, Dell Ray and Dell Ferral. Any social event he attended, he always had the most intriguing stories to tell, and things never became boring. Willie was also known to give people nicknames, if you didn’t have one, he would make sure that he found one that was fitting, or even change the nickname that you had if it was not characteristic of who he saw you as. When you didn’t see Willie in the public’s view, you could often go over to his residence and find him jamming out to music and cleaning up his space.  Needless to say, his life will forever be symbolic to those who knew him, he led in his own way, and inspired others to do the same.

Willie is preceded in death by parents, Willie Joe Bell Sr. and Christine Bell, and brother, Christopher Bell.

Willie departed this life on September 30, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. Those left to cherish his memory include his children, Darnell Bell, Zhane Bell, Taylor Bell and Joseph Bell; siblings, Matthew Bell, Anthony Bell and Linda Bell; nephews, Marvin Rowe, Malcolm Rowe, and Michael Rowe; nieces, Kadisha Bell, Darby Bell, and NaNa Bell, a host of grandchildren, relatives and many friends.