Bennie Alie Shell, Sr.

Bennie Alie Shell was born on May 25, 1945 to Charles and Bessie (Blackwell) Shell in Newport News, Virginia. He was the youngest of four children. By the time he turned five, the family moved and settled in Washington, DC. Bennie and his family settled in northwest DC where he attended DC public schools. For high school, he was accepted into and attended Bell Vocational High School.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Bennie had an early career in the construction trades as a painter for the DC Department of Recreation.

He had two children with his former wife Barbara Sauls—Benny Shell, Jr. and Malaika Shell. He also acted as father to her two older children Marcella and Michael Sauls; as well as acting as a stepfather to Maurice Robertson, son of his long-time companion Betty Teachy Robertson who passed away in 2008.

Bennie had a knack for construction and an entrepreneurial spirit, so he started his own home improvement company that he ran for several years. He used that experience to build a construction company that, at its height, averaged $12 million a year and had approximately 60 employees. With his experience and success, he acted as a tutor and mentor to many who came into his life, with many of them eventually starting their own companies.

In 1991, he helped his son Benny found and manage his own construction corporation. Having the opportunity to do something he loved in partnership with his son was one of the high points for him personally. He ultimately semi-retired from construction around 2000, but still worked in various capacities with his son and other small companies over the years.

Bennie had many hobbies. He enjoyed sports, playing football in his youth and almost made the Washington Redskins team, no small feat for a walk on. He loved the game of chess and played at a Master level. But neither compared to his eventual love for playing tennis and even in his 70’s Bennie would play aggressively for 4 or 5 hours a day.

Later in life, Bennie started to read and learn about the Moors and what they believed. He came to embrace himself as a Moor and as part of the indigenous people to this land, building in him a sense of pride about this learned history.

This coincided with his strong feeling about building legacies and the importance of passing on knowledge and wisdom. He wanted to invest in our youth—extending beyond his own children and grandchildren—and the future. Moreover, he routinely pushed for his family to become closer and do more things together. He enjoyed spending time with his nieces, nephews, and grandkids as a way to express his love.

Bennie Alie Shell departed this life on August 18, 2021. He was preceded in death by his parents Charles and Bessie Mae (Blackwell) Shell, brother’s James Blackwell and Claude Blackwell, sister Donnie Mae (Blackwell) Gaskins, and companion Betty Teachy Robertson. He leaves to mourn children Benny Shell, Jr., Malaika, and Maurice Robertson, grandchildren Leilah and Langston and companion Hilda Carr-Evans. Nieces Eva Gaskins, Patricia Blackwell, Robyn Blackwell-Hall, Cynthia Blackwell Nephews Daryl Blackwell, Eric Blackwell, Grand Nieces Carvondra (Tina) Blackwell, Terrell Blackwell Grand Nephew Sean Blackwell and a whole host of great grand nieces, nephews and friends.