Curtis Ray Bell

Curtis Ray Bell was brought into this world on December 9, 1927 in Madison County, Texas, born to Lucy Claude (Vanghn) and George Bigford Bell. He was raised and educated in and around Madison County, Texas. He was the oldest of three children; He had a sister, Betty Ann Bell, and a brother Kenneth Gene Bell. His life was an agrarian in nature, revolving around that of a sharecropper. Curtis Ray was great in school and never missed a day, unless sick. (His sons felt the same way) He was to say, if he played hooky, he might miss something that was either fun or wonderful. One of his first jobs was a golf caddie, he owned a pair of knee breeches to be worn while caddying. Even at an early age Curtis had a desire to make money, to own/buy things. One of his first lessons about the value of money was when he traded his watch that his father had given him for a penny another kid had. Curtis had read somewhere about how “such-n-such” penny was worth a lot of money. Little did Curtis know at the time which penny was worth the large amount of money. While this was a hard lesson to learn, it was one Curtis NEVER FORGOT!!! In August 1943 Curtis, then 16 years old, was granted a “Minor Release” to accept employment in any industrial concern engaged in defense activities or otherwise and these employing companies were to pay Curtis Ray directly. This was when Curtis traveled to Houston, Texas to work on the Houston Ship Channel Docks unloading ships. The unloading was by manual labor, one sack at a time, 50-100 lb. sacks. There was one ship loaded with flour. He told me (Keith) that debris got into every nook, crack and cranny of his body, took all night to wash the flour out of his hair, he would stand underneath the hot water, as hot as he could stand it to wash the flour out, But he said flour was not as bad as carbon black, all the white men started out white, but after only a bit they all looked like “darkies”. Coffee was an easy unload, as was “pig-iron”, all he and the other had to do was put their hand on the ingots as the ingots was raised out the ships held by cranes. He was living with his Aunt Neoma (his mother Lucy Claude’s older sister) at first, but as he started making enough money got his own place…however one Sunday morning he came to realize he had just enough money to ride the trolley back to her house before his Mom and Dad arrived for a visit. He attended Madisonville High School, played football in 1944 and 1945 and graduated in 1945. His graduating classmates performed a play “He Couldn’t Marry Five” about a young man, who falls in love with five girls, but here is the kicker, the five girls all were in the same family and Curtis played Ralph Barton, the Father to the five girls, just think about the comedy and mayhem. Curtis was known as the “Genius” to his classmates.

He enlisted in the US Army after high school graduation June 4, 1945 at Fort Houston in San Antonio and was Honorably Discharged January 13, 1946. Curtis enlisted into the US Army Reserves, Heavy Tank Company, 289th Infantry Regiment and 75th Infantry Division and was then Honorably Discharged February 3, 1953. Interesting note, in 1946, Curtis weighed 148 lbs., when last he was at the doctors in January 2016, he weighed 148 lbs. His uniform never shrank. Curtis Ray attended college at Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College (Texas A&M) in College Station in July 1949 using his GI benefits, majoring in Petroleum Engineering. However, the mathematic, especially Calculus, was a real deal breaker. Curtis transferred to University of Houston, majoring in Accounting. Curtis earned a B.S. degree in Accounting. Curtis Ray worked for Union Pacific Railroad, but soon realized this was not the job for him. He saw a way to reduce some paperwork and after presenting his idea he was told “Don’t try and change us, we have been doing it this way all these years and we will continue to di it this way!! Along the way, on September 3, 1950, Curtis Ray married Charlsie Maxine Borchelt from Mercedes, Texas. They met while each was having coffee on their “coffee” break at First National Bank in Downtown Houston. They were married in Trinity Lutheran Church. Before they married, Curtis drove Charlsie down to see her folks in Mercedes, Texas, all the way down close to the US-Mexico border. Charlsie was asleep in the rear seat, and Curtis driving, she woke up and told him he had to get gasoline in Kingsville before attempting to drive across the King Ranch. Curtis begged to differ, saying they could get gasoline in Sarita or one of the several other “spots” along the highway. Charlsie told him, very sternly, that those “spots” on the map were railroad cattle holding pens and nothing more. No gasoline stations. The traveling distance between Kingsville and Raymondville was 77 miles one way. During this time was when Curtis met Fred Lange, Pauline Borchelts brother and learned each was very interested in making M-O-N-E-Y, thru various stocks, bonds, etc. Fred had managed to make money during the depression. Their first son was Dennis George born September 5, 1954, named for Curtis’ father George Bigford Bell. Curtis and Charlsie were living on Erie St., Houston, Texas in an apartment. Curtis was working for Lyondell Petrochemical Company, a division of Sinclair Oil Company in Pasadena, Texas. Yes, Sinclair Oil’s logo was the large green dinosaur, Dino. Curtis then took a position as purchasing agent in the downtown building, The Great Southwestern Life Building, aka, The Petroleum Building. Houston was home-base for several other large oil companies, Texaco, Gulf, and Shell to name a few. This building was ultra-modern for its time, a full automated elevator system, the floor call buttons were (human) heat activated, and there were still seats for an operator to sit upon in case something went awry. All of the door knobs were solid brass, the locks had a push button set up for locking the door as you left for the day, lots of marble, very art-deco in design and it did not have a 13th floor. It was during his time as a purchasing agent that Curtis began his avid love for the outdoors, especially deer and water fowl hunting. Curtis was part of a Sinclair Oil Company sponsored bowling league, although good at bowling, Curtis never considered himself as good as a professional bowler. There were numerous trips to Mercedes and Raymondville, Texas for white-wing dove hunts, deer hunts in Brady and Llano, Texas and water fowl hunting in Manvel, Texas and Jetty fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Then on September 23, 1957 their second son, Keith Randal was born. About the same time Keith was born, Curtis and his father, George Bell, purchased a piece of land together, about 344 acres, in Madison County, Texas where they ran a cow-calf operation. Curtis also purchased several metal buildings, reasoning these were a good way to make money other than just being a salaried worker. Curtis continued his job as a purchasing agent with Sinclair. By now the Bell family was living on 5830 Doulton St. the very first house they owned, in the South Park Subdivision, on the south side of Houston. The family attended Ascension Lutheran Church and School, where charter members, with their sons attending the private school, Keith attending till the third grade and Dennis till seventh grade. The Bells moved to stay ahead of the declining of the neighborhoods. This time it was 5623 Greencraig St. near Meyerland Speedway and Westbury Square. Their home backed up to the railroad tracks. In 1964 Curtis, Fred Lange (brother to Pauline Borchelt, Charlsie’s Mother) and Merle (Charlsie’s brother) all drove to Iowa where Curtis met a lifelong friend, Bob Ibsen. At the time Bob was 16 years old. He and Curtis developed a great friendship based upon a love each had of farming. In 1968 Curtis decided the family needed to move, and ARCO-Atlantic Richfield Company had purchased Sinclair Oil Company. Curtis was thinking about moving towards Manvel. But P.C. McIntyre, Curtis’ friend, mentor, and business associate advised Curtis to move to Conroe, Texas. Curtis bought his third home, #10 Woody Creek Dr, the family home for over 47 years. Curtis car pooled to downtown Houston for several years. Then ARCO wanted to close the Houston offices and move the purchasing department to Los Angeles, California. However, Curtis went for a 2 month visit and decided not to move. He said ho got to the office early (as he was staying at a hotel downtown) around 7:30am, sit at his desk and watch a brown haze/ cloud roll in. This happened every morning and watched every night as it rolled out. Curtis realized that this was happening due to the cars and trucks and thought, do I want to bring my family here to this way of life? (This was about 1972) When he decided NOT to move his family, he quit ARCO and for the next year learned about the real estate business and worked for FLOUR and Strand Steel. It was during this period Curtis looked into starting a career in the hardware business, opening a Western Auto Store in 1973. But the hardware business was not for him. He then decided to embark/ make a go at selling real estate, which resulted in his longest, most profitable and extremely satisfying career, REAL ESTATE!!! First as an agent with Hank and Donita Haden at the Haden Company, Century 21, Conroe, Texas and then as a broker with the same and finally on his own. CURTIS BELL REAL ESTATE SALES. Curtis tried his hand at development and did just that, with Conroe Terrace Subdivision. It was, as he put it, “My Bonanza”!!! Curtis learned to work smarter, not harder. Then in 1991 he and Keith opened and operated a flea market, in a building on a piece of property he owned. Curtis had purchased this warehouse and land due to the several large metal buildings on the land, and since he could not keep them rented the Outback Antique Village and Flea Market was born. This ran successfully for 20+ years. Another profitable adventure. People would comment to him, “I bet you taught your son everything he knows about the flea market”…and as they would turn and leave, Curtis would chuckle to himself, “No, Keith taught me”! Curtis parted ways with the flea market when his wife, Charlsie needed him at home, and like the loving, devoted husband he was, he was there for her. Charlsie passed away in June 2013 at their home on Woody Creek Dr. Curtis continued to live at Woody Creek Dr. spending time working crossword puzzles, re-reading the classics along with Clive Cusslar novels, sitting in his lawn chair reading the newspaper, strolling the block and having coffee and reminiscing with old friends.

Curtis Ray Bell passed from this world on July 22, 2016. He was 88 years young. He left this world a better place!!!!