Donald Bell, 69

Donald L. Bell (The Skipper), 69, of Mountain Home, died Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2004, at Elmore Medical Center.

No services were held. Cremation was under the direction of Summers Funeral Homes, McMurtrey Chapel in Mountain Home.

Donald was born March 31, 1935, in San Francisco, Calif., the son of Donald and Mildred Bell.

He entered the Marine Corps in 1952 and married Elva Mae (Jackie) Stallberg in 1956.

Donald also joined the Merchant Marines. He was skipper of his charter boat, "Donnie Bee," out of San Francisco, Calif.

He retired from the Operating Engineers Local 103 in 1997 where he worked as a crane operator.

Jackie died on Nov. 13, 2000, in California, and Donald relocated to Mountain Home to be close to his son, Richard Bell.

Donald met his current wife, Connie Bell, during his stay in Idaho.

Donald is survived by: his wife, Connie, of Mountain Home; his son. Richard Bell and his wife, Deann, and their three children, all of Mountain Home; brothers David Bell of Sonora, Calif., and James Samson of Kelseyville, Calif.; sister Jolynn of Newark, Calif., and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his son, Donny, his parents, a brother, Orville Bell, in 1966, and a sister, Shirley Tanner, in 1994.