Jack Bell to be recognized as Mason and Lodge Master

Two-time recipient of the Citizen of The Year Award, Jack Bell is still being recognized by his peers for his contributions to the community.

And he is still funny. “Well,” he quipped, “they wanted to make sure they got it right the first time,” referring to the double award.

In a small ceremony at his home on Sept. 23, Jack will be presented with pins commemorating 60 years as a member of the Masonic Lodge, and 50 years since he was a Master of the No. 2 Lodge, founded in 1792 in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

“Past Masters are everyone who has served a term in the office of Master,” said current Master Christopher Hall. “They are generally a well-skilled Mason who is knowledgeable in the ritual and workings of the Lodge, and they are looked upon for guidance from the other brethren.”

Freemasonry is the oldest and largest fraternal organization in the world. Its members share a common goal of helping each other become better men, explained Hall. Its body of knowledge and system of ethics is based on the belief that each man has a responsibility to improve himself while being devoted to his family, faith, country  and fraternity.

“Jack has been an asset to the Lodge for a long time, and has always been a skilled Mason with incredible memory work.”

Throughout his lifetime, Bell has been instrumental in supporting many community initiatives.

In 1945, his father, also named Jack, organized the flooding and maintenance of an outdoor skating rink in Niagara Falls, and his three sons helped to maintain it, “likely to keep them busy and out of trouble,” according to the Jack Bell plaque on the Niagara Falls Sports Wall of Fame.

An arena on Frederica Street was named after Jack’s father. It was demolished in 2013 for residential housing.

The younger Jack maintained his interest in hockey and had been active in the fundraising of both Virgil arenas and the community centre. “He realized that there was a lack of sports for kids that lived in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and so he was one of the instigators of starting minor hockey and getting the first arena built in Virgil,” said Jack’s wife, Teresa. “He helped to start minor hockey, and he became the first president of minor hockey. He was also on the fundraising committee for the second arena.”

Jack was a referee in the Ontario Hockey Association and a linesman in the American Hockey League. “It’s always been fun,” he said, allowing him to meet “many interesting people.”

Following his interests is what seems to drive Bell to this day. Several times throughout the conversation with The Local, Jack credited his joy of life and longevity to simply having fun in the moment. “It’s been an interesting life, from start to finish,” he said. “It’s one of those things  — some people are interested in what they do, and some aren’t. I am always interested, and it’s fun.”

Bell was born in Stamford in 1931, and moved to Virgil when he and Ed Andres formed Andres-Bell Contracting in 1960, an excavation business like his father ran. Excavating was interesting, said Jack, because “you get to be the first person on a new venture. The very first thing you have to do is an excavation, and put in the footings for the foundation and build from there.”

For 20 years he was a volunteer firefighter in Virgil, because volunteers were needed, he said. He sat on multiple boards, including the Lincoln County Board of Education, Niagara Construction Association, Virgil Business Association, Niagara Falls Downtown, and The East Niagara Housing Authority. He volunteered for the local branch of the Cancer Society for a number of years.

He said he did so much volunteer work “because I enjoyed it, and I was always invited to take part in them, and I never could say no because they were interesting things. When they’re interesting, you can’t turn them down.”

One thing Jack won’t do, however, is give advice to young people today.

“I wouldn’t dare, because I’m not connected to them, so there’s no point in me giving them advice,” he said. However, after some reflection, he thought the best advice would be to think before speaking. “Think before you shoot off your mouth, and then you’ll be safe much longer, and likely live much longer,” he opined.

He also suggested travelling, especially to Africa, as he did in the mid-1990s. “I’m quite serious about that. It’s one of the best trips I ever had. It is entirely different than most places you’ve ever been to. If you ever get the chance, don’t turn it down. It’s a lifetime achievement.”

Jack and Teresa’s blended family are dispersed. One son lives in London, England, a daughter lives in Vancouver and son Scott passed away in 2006.

He enjoys sitting in his garden and watching people swim in their inground pool. “He is trying to stay out of trouble,” joked Teresa. “He walks every day because he’s had too many strokes, which affected his one leg. So the more exercise he gets, the better.”

“He’s had a quadruple heart bypass,” she added, “and he got through that. He’s tough.”

Bell had part of his colon removed in 2019, just before COVID, followed by a type of bladder cancer, but he is doing well now, despite dementia affecting his short-term memory.

Bell credited his toughness with working on the family farm on the corner of Church’s Lane and Portage Road in Niagara Falls. “Life is like a bowl of cherries, once you learn how to spit out the pits, you’re all set,” quipped Jack.

He also admitted that he likes a good laugh, “because you can’t carry grudges.” Sometimes “you forget why you have the grudge to begin with,” he explains, and it’s not worth carrying it.

Teresa met Jack, fittingly, in the hockey arena where her son played minor hockey. “He’s the love of my life. As soon as we met each other, we just knew there was something there. Our friendship developed, and before we knew it, there was a spark there that we just couldn’t get rid of.”

“We actually didn’t get rid of it, we fanned the flames,” he added. The couple will celebrate 40 years of marriage in February.