Perry "Pete" Wallace Bell

Perry Wallace Bell, affectionately known as Pete or P.W., peacefully completed his remarkable journey of 91 years on April 26, 2025, at his adopted home in Greenville, SC. His life was a beautiful testament to resilience, creativity, and boundless generosity.

Born February 27, 1934, in Greenville to Willie Geneva Smith and Thurmond Thomas Landreth. Before reaching a year old, his father abandoned the family. During the desperate years of the Great Depression, Perry and his mother lived with his grandfather, John Leo Smith, and extended family on the family farm in Pickens. It is there where he learned the values of hard work and perseverance.

As the depression was nearing an end, Perry’s resourceful and loving mother met and married Waymon Edgar Bell and on April 27, 1946, Pete’s name was officially changed to Perry Wallace Bell. As World War II began, the young family spent the next few years living in a boarding house at 402 E. Gaston Street in Savannah, GA where both Waymon and Geneva worked as welders in the shipyards building Liberty ships. It was here, where Pete began his first business ventures, selling newspapers and peanuts on the bustling costal city streets. Even then, he showed the entrepreneurial spark that would define him.

Following the war, the family returned to Greenville, ultimately living in a house on Ethelridge Drive. Turned out to be a good location, since it was just around the corner where he met the love of his life, Betty Jean McAtee. Both had attended Parker High School.

Their love story was a true partnership — both in life and business. Before they married on June 23, 1956, Pete and Betty had already launched their first venture together, selling snow cones from a truck. Pete would pour the syrup while Betty handled the customers — an early example of the teamwork that would see them through decades of success.

Along the way to building a career, Pete worked briefly in a cotton mill and handled deliveries at Better Beer Company. But his true calling, to control his own destiny, led him to learn how to bend neon for sign construction and eventually to opening his own business, P.W. Bell Signs. From before his children were born, until the mid-80s, a great many of all signs constructed and erected in Upstate South Carolina were made by Pete. With Betty by his side managing the books, and with the help of their son, Andrew, they built a thriving family business, rooted in craftsmanship and excellence.

His hobby for many years involved building race cars. His children have fond memories of hearing the engines roar in the backyard garage and spending every Saturday night at Greenville Pickens Speedway. While he never frightened Betty by driving the cars around the oval track himself, he could build a “sometimes” winning Ford or Chevy from the chassis up. NASCAR took him and his team to many tracks across the southeast including Talladega and Daytona.

A true entrepreneur at heart, Pete never stopped trying new ventures — from selling changeable copy signs and satellite dishes to launching Fine Preowned Cars later in life. His hobbies frequently doubled as businesses.

As his health began to fail, he focused much of his energy on caring for Betty who precedes him in death by just one year. His purpose in life became watching over her and ensuring her caregivers were prompt, loving and thorough.

A talented man, who if he had been born in another era, or with more financial resources, might have been an artist. Pete had long had an interest in photography and had hand-painted photos he had taken when younger. Bending neon, hand lettering signs, and sketching signage designs were evidence of his creative abilities. In the past year, following Betty’s passing, and despite challenges with his eyesight, Pete was teaching himself how to paint landscapes and portraits.

He will be remembered for his unpretentious generosity, kindness and love for his family. His quick-witted sense of humor was often surprising – and he was known to pull a few pranks, especially during the racing years.

He encouraged everyone he met to pursue careers that made them happy, saying, “Do something you enjoy, so it’s easy to get up every morning.”

Pete’s memory will be lovingly cherished by his children, Karen Bell Huppertz (Paul) of Georgia and Andrew Lee Bell (Carol) of Greenville, four grandchildren, Ashley Elliott (Daniel), Andrew Bell (Betsy), Cameron Huppertz, Rachel Huppertz Draddy (David), and five great grandchildren, Preston, Ethan, and Caleb Elliott, Thomas Bell, and Dillon Draddy.

The family extends their profound gratitude to Pete’s devoted primary caregiver, Sarah Norment, who had also lovingly and gently cared for Betty for several years before her passing, to the compassionate team at Waterstone on Augusta assisted living and HealthPro Heritage physical therapy, and to Interim HealthCare Hospice for their tender care in his final days.

A celebration of life service will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3, 2025, at Mackey Funerals and Cremations at Woodlawn Memorial Park, 1 Pine Knoll Drive in Greenville with visitation prior at 1:30 p.m. followed by a private committal service at Woodlawn Memorial Park. The family will be receiving friends following the graveside prayer from 4:00-5:30 p.m. in the visitation hall at Mackey.

Condolences may be sent or viewed at www.mackeywoodlawn.com.

Flowers are welcome or memorials can be sent to the Appalachian Council of Governments, Attn: Family Caregiver Support Group, 30 Century Circle, Greenville, SC 29607 or Meals on Wheels of Greenville at www.mealsonwheelsgreenville.org/memorial-donation/.