FAYETTEVILLE — On Sept. 4, 2020, James P. Bell,

photographer, physician, and outdoorsman, went to be with his Lord and savior, after brief but aggressive complications from prostate cancer. He was born in Fort Smith, Ark., on Jan. 20, 1948.

J.P. was a devout Christian, dedicated husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle. His passion and love of life, whether it be photography, medicine, travel, service to others, books and writing, trains, or the outdoors, will not easily be replaced.

After medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, J.P. continued his service to others with his work in Browning, Mont., on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, followed by stops in Little Rock and Mena for internal medicine, before returning to his hometown of Fort Smith to practice as an emergency room physician at Sparks Medical Center.

J.P. participated in numerous volunteer medical mission trips overseas, including to Brazil and Haiti, and in cooperation with Global Partners.

His photography took him throughout the world, tracking down steam trains, landscapes, people and all those interesting angles that he had the knack to capture in just the right light. He made many friends on these adventures, and his ability to find the unique aspect of a person was similar to his ability to capture an image.

Throughout his life, J.P. had a desire to be outdoors. Whether it was hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim, spending college summers as a park ranger, or just canoeing a stretch of Big Piney, he felt at home in the open air with the big sky before him. He passed this along to his family, and cherished the trips he took with his family to various national parks in the Western United States.

Phillipians 3:13-14 encapsulates just a small part of J.P.’s life: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” He lived his life in this regard and encouraged others to press on as well.

He was preceded in death by his father, James Hoyt Bell; mother, Gladys Brewer Bell; grandmother, Grace Stokes “Mommer” Brewer.

He is survived by his wife, Candy Anderson Bell; his daughter, Elizabeth Bell; his son, Steven and wife, Erin, and their children, Anderson and Sophia; his brother, David and wife, Mary Ann; and many nieces and nephews.

The family will gather for a private graveside service. Due to the covid pandemic, a public celebration of J.P.’s life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations could be sent to Rolling Hills Baptist Church in Fayetteville, or to CBF, memo: Student.go at Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, 160 Clairmont Ave., Ste. 500, Decatur, Ga., 30030.

To place an online tribute, visit www.nelsonberna.com.