Wm Franklin Bell

Services for WM Franklin Bell were held on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, at 10 a.m. from McClain-Hays Chapel in Philadelphia, MS with Dr. Dan Howard officiating.  Burial followed in Phillips Cemetery in Choctaw, MS.   William Franklin Bell, 85, of the Pearl River community, born December 27, 1932, passed away on March 2, 2018, at the Beehive Homes of Philadelphia. He is preceded by his parents Nicholas and Cleddie (Ben) Bell; sisters Ruby M. Willis and Dorothy McMillian; and brothers Lindy Dwight Bell and William Roger Bell, Sr.Survivors include his sisters, Bonnie K. Martin of Choctaw, Miss., and Sally A. Bread (Dr. Jerry C. Bread) of Norman, Okla., and a host of nieces and nephews, relatives and friends. In addition, Mr. Bell had very special friends with whom he worked with, namely, Mrs. Heather Adams, Mrs. Dianne Johnston, Mrs. Suzanne Hyatt, Miss Brenda Clay, Mrs. Peggy Crowe, and Miss Sylvia Jones.Mr. Bell was an educator who made a difference in the lives of Choctaw children, their parents, the Choctaw Tribal Schools staff, and those who worked with him on a daily basis at the Department of Schools. His entire career had been devoted to education.Mr. Bell worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for 30 years, eleven years at Conehatta Elementary, twelve years in Washington, D.C., where he served as an Education Specialist. He has taught seventh and eighth grades and has served as an administrator. In addition, he served as principal at Conehatta Elementary and Red Water Elementary Schools. For the past 17 years, he has been the Title I Coordinator for the Choctaw Tribal Schools.  He attended first grade through the eighth at Pearl River Day School, ninth through the eleventh grades at Pearl River High School, and he completed his senior year at Meridian High School in Meridian, Miss. He continued his education at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss., as well as the University of Mississippi in Oxford.The epitome of a true Southern gentleman, Mr. Bell embodied the characteristics of integrity, character, chilvary, and pride in oneself and his heritage. His work ethic garnered much respect from others, while at the same time his humility certainly did set him apart.Mr. Bell believed firmly in his family motto: "If you get an education, no one in the world will take that away from you." He would have liked nothing better than to see the young Choctaw people of today accept this as his or her self-evident truth as they make their future plans.Mr. Bell was a member of First Baptist Church of Philadelphia, MS.