Funeral services for Gene F. Bell, 81, resident of Ozark, Missouri will be held on Tuesday, November 21 at 9:30 a.m. at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home in Springfield, Missouri. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. Monday.  Gene is survived by his wife, Janet, daughter Trace Bell, son and daughter-in-law Brent & Yolanda Bell, and their two sons Taylor and Zachary.

Gene grew up in Richmond Heights, a suburb of St, Louis, Missouri and loved airplanes from an early age. After graduating high school in 1954, and working as a mechanic for a little over a year, he applied for and was admitted to the United States Air Force Officer Cadet Program. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in early 1957. He then joined the Missouri Air National Guard and realized his childhood dream of getting paid to fly airplanes. During the first 3 months his duties included checking out B-26 aircraft through all phases of military flying, which was authorized as his first active duty. Not long after, he transitioned from the multi-engine B-26 to single engine jet aircraft, initially flying the T-33 as part of the Air Force's Jet Qualifications Course. By May of 1958, shortly before his 22nd birthday he had progressed to the F-84F, a single pilot fighter/bomber capable of a top speed of 695mph.

Earlier that year, as his family and friends began bragging about "Gene the Fighter Pilot" he was introduced by his first cousin to Janet, a college student at Washington University. Janet encouraged Gene to get a college education, and by July he enrolled at St. Louis University's Parks College of Engineering, Aviation, and Technology, an all boys' school. Janet and Gene, who got married in November of 1960, lived separately until he completed his aeronautical engineering degree in July of 1961. Before the newlyweds were able to celebrate their first anniversary, Gene was called to active duty as a result of the Berlin Crisis. He flew his F-84F across the Atlantic as a member of the 110th Tactical Fighter Squadron, stopping only in the Azores to refuel and was stationed at the Toul-Rosieres Air Base in France. His wife Janet joined him within a month and in time for their first anniversary.

After returning to the states in 1962, he requested transfer to the United States Air Force Reserves where he was given the rank of Captain. He then utilized his college degree to gain employment as an Aerospace Engineer with McDonnell Douglas (which much later became Boeing) in St. Louis, Missouri where he and his wife Janet began a family. Gene was transferred to Houston in 1974 where he continued exciting work related to the nation's space program which included Sky Lab as well as numerous Space Shuttle flight operations projects. Gene eventually retired from McDonnell Douglas at age 55, and moved back to Missouri.

Gene, and his wife Janet, have traveled the world, stepping foot on all seven continents, including Antarctica. As a Christian, Gene has gone on numerous mission trips, and supported numerous Christian organizations which include The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Convoy of Hope, Samaritan's Purse, Victory Mission, Project H.O.P.E., and others. Gene was involved with The Big Brother/Big Sister program and served as a mentor for ten years. Gene continued his love of flying right up until the end of his life by building and piloting both his own airplane and helicopter.

In April 2016, Gene was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a rare blood cancer. His first series of treatments brought the cancer into remission. When that failed, he continued his treatment through clinical trials at MD Anderson Cancer Research Center in Houston, Texas for the next several months.

The family suggests that donations could be made to this non-profit organization in lieu of flowers.