Iowans encouraged to attend funeral of Hugh Bell, former WWII pilot and Iowa funeral director

The Iowa Funeral Directors Association is encouraging the community to attend the funeral of former World War II pilot and Iowa funeral director Hugh Bell, who died June 2. He was 98.

Bell was born in McCook, Nebraska, in 1924 and moved to Shenandoah with his family later that year, according to his obituary. He graduated from Shenandoah High School with the class of 1942. 

He took flying lessons and was preparing to take the test for a private pilot's license when he was drafted into the United States Army in 1943, according to his obituary.

Bell earned his United States Army Air Force Pilots Wings and Officers Commission in 1944 and trained pilots for overseas duties, his obituary said. He was assigned to the 47th Bomb Group, 84th Bomb Squadron and he and his crewmen flew 21 night bombing missions over the North Apennine Mountains and Po Valley in Italy.  

After the war ended, Bell became a troop carrier pilot, visiting 33 countries and flying over 25 more countries.

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He was released from the military in 1953, but his service did not end there, according to his obituary. From 1967 to 1968, Bell volunteered to be a civilian mortician for the Department of the Army, Mortuary Service. He was assigned to Saigon, Vietnam where he took care of 836 casualties so they could be returned home for burial. 

Bell received many awards for his service, including the 47th Bomber Group Unit Citation, Air Medal, Air Force Combat Ribbon, WWII Victory Ribbon and the German Occupation Ribbon among others.

Bell became a licensed funeral director and served communities in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Arizona for over 55 years, according to his obituary. 

With only one surviving family member, a nephew in Rhode Island, the Iowa Funeral Directors Association is asking the public to attend Bell's funeral service July 8. 

"The community, and anyone who would like to pay tribute to this hero, is welcome and encouraged to attend the graveside service," said Taylor Teays of the Iowa Funeral Directors Association in a June 23 news release.

The graveside service for Bell will be held at the Rose Hill Cemetery at 11 a.m. on July 8, and will include military honors conducted by the Shenandoah American Legion Color Guard. Memorial donations are welcome at People for Paws, an Iowa nonprofit that helps people and pets without homes, or the Shenandoah American Legion Color Guard. 

Grace Altenhofen is a news reporter for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at galtenhofen@registermedia.com or on Twitter @gracealtenhofen.