Jim Bell was always being followed by magnificent sea turtles in his adventures in the ocean and the stories he told of these creatures were among the most amazing stories he would tell of his “outrageous adventures” when swimming in the ocean, according to his ex-wife.
“It is hard to think of him being gone. He was my brother, my former husband, and best friend. He had a wonderful sense of humor,” Donna Bell told Saipan Tribune.
Donna, founder of Radiant Design Living Technology in Superior, Colorado, has nothing but fond memories of her ex-husband, with whom she separated with in 1991.
“We remained best friends like brother and sister for 17 years. We were always there for each other during the best and worst of times,” Donna said.
Bell, 72, has been reported missing since he took off into the waters near Suicide Cliff on Tinian on Oct. 17. His goal was to swim around the corner of the island and surface at Kammer Beach later that afternoon.
Donna first met Bell when she was still working on a television show.
“His home became one of the homes we ended up videotaping. It was an extreme home makeover for Jim,” she recalled.
Bell also adored kittens and had a penchant for calling all small animals “bears.” He would sign all his e-mails to Donna with “Jim and the Meow Meows.” This happened, Donna recalled, after Bell found a cat up a cliff that was pregnant.
“Shortly after, he had three bears instead of one,” Donna said.
When she fell ill, it was Bell who did everything to make her strong again. “Jim took care of me while staying at other's homes and traveling over four times a day as I got better and stronger again,” she said.
Donna said Bell was also active with the Mormon church, where everybody came to know him as someone who always went the extra mile.
“He was an individual that served his whole life, especially his church. In fact during the year, he managed families coming in every single week to clean the church. If at any time there was a cancellation, he would clean that church, no matter what. He would impeccably clean it with all his heart,” she said.
When he saw she was getting better, Bell confided to Donna his desire to swim the Tinian channel between Guam and Saipan on his 70th birthday. She said Bell had been training hard for this swim.
“This was his dream and I wholeheartedly embraced his plan. Everything came together and he was so thrilled when he achieved swimming the Tinian channel at 70 years old,” Donna said. “As you know, he first achieved it when he was 42.”
She said no one else in the history of the world had achieved this dangerous swim at any age.
She described Bell as a meticulous and prolific writer. “He had a great ability to write and his stories were phenomenal,” she said.
Donna looks forward to receiving all of her husband's journals. “I know his stories are meant to be available to the world.”
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