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William Jacob "Jake" Bell III Born in 1942 in Kingston, PA and passed away on December 20, 2004 in Brownsville, TX. Jake's formative years were spent with his Mom and Dad on Mt. Zion in Pennsylvania. He attended Wyoming Seminary Day School and graduated from West Pittston High School. Jake went on to attend the Pennsylvania Military College and graduated with a BS in Business Administration. In later years, Jake was working toward his MBA at Eastern New Mexico University. Jake began his distinguished military career on June 4, 1965 coming out of the U.S. Infantry School in Fort Benning, GA. His first active duty with the Infantry sent him to the DMZ in Korea. He was then sent on assignment in Germany and while there was transferred to the Special Forces Group as a Green Beret. Jake went on to proudly serve his country in Vietnam. While in Vietnam he was awarded the Bronze Star for his heroic actions; the Silver star for gallantry in action; as well as nine other awards including an Army Commendation Medal from the 101st Airborne Division for his contributions to the group; another Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts and three Vietnamese medals for extraordinary service to his country. Jake retired as a Captain on January 16, 1974 in Roswell, New Mexico while serving as an instructor at New Mexico Military Institute and retained his Reserve Officers Commission. After the Military, he began his civilian career which filled the next thirty years and included Real Estate, Sales, Marketing and Advertising and allowed him to travel extensively throughout the Southwest. Jake loved life. He was an avid sports fan, a legendary downhill skier, a motor cycle enthusiast, a fearless Formula-V race car driver and thanks to his father, a lifelong fisherman. In college Jake was on the Men's Indoor Track Team and was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity. He joined the VFW, the American Legion and was active with various other Veteran's Groups. In August 2004 Jake married Danette Davis who survived him in death. Jake was also survived by his mother Anna Masters Bell of Harlingen, TX; and his three daughters, Jhanna Tucker (Lanning) of Fort Myers, FL, Jennifer Allen (Scott) of Halringen, TX, Michelle Love Bell of Spokane, WA; two grandsons, Aaron Michael and Bryan Zackary Tucker of Fort Myers, FL; by his two step-daughters, Nicholle Street (Charles) of Columbia, TN; Jennifer Bauer (Danny) of Rockville, TX; as well as Dakota and Dancee Street of Columbia, TN. He is preceded in death by his father, William "Bill" Jacob Bell, Jr. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Mt. Zion Methodist Church and/or any other Veteran related organization. A Celebration of Life will be scheduled some time in early 2005 on South Padre Island, TX. Arrangements are with Buck Ashcraft Funeral Home.
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