Eric Matthew Bell

We are profoundly saddened to announce the sudden passing of our beloved husband, son, brother, nephew, friend and colleague Eric Matthew Bell at the age of 39. Eric was born a Texan on December 8, 1983.

Eric was an individualist and entrepreneur, his spirit focused on creating and the journey forward. He had a full metal vigor, living life infused with a renaissance mindset—in the present but with a determined eye towards the future.

Eric grew up and lived in San Antonio. He traveled often and widely—from Alaska to the Carolinas, Michigan to Mexico, and to Scotland, California, Hawaii, the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Eric held a deep bond with London and treated it as a second home—embracing the Tottenham Hotspurs, Black Cabs, Indian cuisine, and Savile Row. At 10, Eric worked as a “wrangler” for a Hill Country kids camp, and by 13, had hunted elk on horseback in the Colorado high country. Eric joined NOLs at 18, bush trekking near Denali, and in his 30s, regularly went to Bahrain, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia on business. Eric honeymooned by hiking in the Scottish Isles, fished floating a river in Montana, cruised the Cote d’Azur with family and took in Monaco on F1 weekend. Despite his extensive travels, Eric mostly loved spending time on Mustang Island with family and his dog.

Eric enjoyed music and film, cooking and baking, philosophy, design, and sports. He co-formed National Parks, a progressive indie-folk, electronic jam band, and during college summers traveled the US in a beat-up biodiesel supporting String Cheese Incident and P Groove as a “roadie/performance artist.” He founded Grandma Joan’s Pantry (dedicated to his beloved grandmother) which produced the highest quality handmade pies, made a mean Low Country Boil, and loved cooking with family at Sunday Suppers. He studied philosophy in and after university, and in the spirit of his grandmother and mother—Texas political doyens—often waxed late into evenings. Eric adopted Steve Jobs’ belief in brand and design and spent hours ruminating, obsessing, and demanding perfection (mostly from himself) in company products, logos, hats, and tees. He loved baseball, playing second base passionately and well, and once captured a famous bat and met Mrs. Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese at a Dodgers Cardinals game. Premier League Football and F1 became his sporting obsessions in recent years.

Eric was a determined, dedicated business colleague and unflappable bootstrap entrepreneur, believing technology to be the driver of long-term growth. In 2015, he co-founded and helped fund ThinkSA, a public policy group, and ChooseSA, the foundation which operated “SATX House at South by Southwest,” a venue designed to introduce the US business community to San Antonio as an alternative tech center. Eric was an executive in an international energy company, an investor/advisor to startups and an early board member of TechBloc. Eric prided himself on providing interns an opportunity to join his team but was steadfast in the demand all be paid fairly for their work. In 2019, Eric was honored as one of San Antonio’s 40 under 40, in part for his role as co-founder/CEO of Blue Duck Express, the micro mobility business he penciled out on an airplane napkin. He was undeterredly proud of the team at Blue Duck— amongst the industry’s first movers—and all they accomplished together. Blue Duck’s story remains one of “David versus Goliath” but no matter, Eric believed in its mission and worked tirelessly towards its successes: building complex de novo technology; growing to nearly 100 tech-focused employees in San Antonio; and operating several thousand eScooters daily in a dozen Southern US cities.

Eric was a millennial soul. He believed in the value of being a part of the first generation in the digital age but the last not born with mobile devices and social media. He was generous, optimistic, genuine, loyal, and almost never without a ball cap. He was a good neighbor, shared his successes and did not often hold others to blame for failings. And although his progressive upbringing tilted over time towards “privacy and individualism,” Eric remained ever positive about the future.

Above all, Eric deeply loved his wife, brother and sister, Papa, family and close friends, beloved Corgi—Rooney, and was proud of his South Texas roots and Scots/German heritage. He died much too young, peacefully and supported fully by family and friends. He is loved and will be missed, always.

Eric is survived by his wife, Julie Polansky Bell; father, Paul A. Bell; sister, Mallory Mangold; brother, Jeffrey Mangold; uncle, Curtis L. Bruner, Jr.; aunts, Susan Bell and Deborah Bushold; and numerous cousins, family and close friends. He was preceded in death by his mother, Cathryn Bell Fleming; grandfathers, Dr. James D. Bell and Curtis L. Bruner; grandmothers, Joan L. Bell and Mildred “Millie” Bruner; and uncle, John D. Bell. The family would like to offer its heartfelt thanks to the nursing team at University Hospital’s Medical ICU for their exceptional and tireless support. A Celebration of Life event to honor Eric will be held with details to be provided once the plans are complete.