SAVANNAH, GA – On July 22, 2024, surrounded by his loving children, Gustavous “Gus” Holmes Bell III of Savannah, Georgia passed away peacefully at age 86.

Gus was born on August 6, 1937 in Lumberton, NC and raised in Dillon, SC by his parents Gustavous Holmes Bell, Jr. and Ada “Widdy” Williams Alford Bell along with his cherished siblings Sion and Suzanne. He graduated from Dillon High School in 1955 where he was affectionately nicknamed “Buster,” the name his grandchildren and many of his friends still call him today. Gus earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at The Citadel in 1959 and attended graduate school at the University of Kentucky. He was a Registered Professional Engineer. Gus always claimed that attending The Citadel was THE transformative experience that helped him navigate his professional engineering and business career. He was very proud to have received the military order of Kappa Alpha (KA) from The Citadel and to have participated on the Bond Volunteer and Summerall Guard drill team as a cadet. He also “very briefly” played football under Coach Al Davis.

In 1957 his cousin Temple Sloan, Jr. introduced him to the love of his life, Amanda “Mandy” Hancock Morris while she was attending St. Mary’s College in Raleigh, NC.  In 1959 they were wed at Mandy’s family home in Sanford, NC and were married for 42 years.  They have 3 children, Lisa, Adair, and Holmes, nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren.  Gus was devastated when Mandy passed away in 2007, but he was blessed with love and happiness when he married Jan Hall in 2017. Sadly, Jan passed away in 2020.

Shortly after Mandy and Gus were married, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant as a Reserve Commissioned Officer in the US Army, whereupon he reported to the Corps of Engineers (USACE) at Ft. Belvoir, VA and then Fort Bliss, TX where he served as platoon leader of B Company of the 815th Combat Engineer Battalion and later as company commander. His assignments included the USACE Albuquerque District, where he participated in the installation of Atlas Missile Silo. He continued with the USACE in Hopkinsville, KY through the Nashville District as a young engineer working on the Barkley Dam relocation project. Finally he landed in Savannah, GA with the USACE.  Gus soon started working in the evenings with two WWII veterans and local engineers, Roy Hussey and Ben Gay, who founded Hussey and Gay in 1958. Soon thereafter they hired this young engineer in 1966, and thus began his incredible journey spanning the next 50 years.

Gus was a pioneer in the business of engineering and an exceptional leader on every level. At the urging of his good friend, Governor John West, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Gus established a US/Saudi partnership that was awarded several monumental projects through the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Water.  Gus made over 100 trips to Saudi Arabia and the Middle East spanning several decades and highly valued his relationship with his business partner Zuhair Yassin.  While Saudi Arabia was a dry country, Gus would somehow manage to put “Saudi Sweetener” (Grand Marnier) into his coffee every evening after dinner.

Back home in the Southeast, he grew the engineering, architecture and survey firm significantly and became involved in such projects as Greenwood Development’s two thousand acre Palmetto Dunes on Hilton Head Island, the City of Savannah’s waterfront, Rousakis Plaza, the 1996 Olympic Marina, Boeing’s 787 Expansion in North Charleston, and Charleston Water System’s Sewer Tunnel Replacement Program, which spans 12 miles and 120 feet deep under Historic Charleston, SC. He opened multiple offices in Georgia and South Carolina, and worked on various projects in Moscow.  His work in the City of Savannah alone earned him a proclamation from the then Mayor Eddie DeLoach for August 11th to be recognized as “Gus H. Bell III Day.”  He had a passion for historic preservation and was very proud of his participation in the restoration of City Hall, which added the gold dome to the 1905 historic structure.

His career with Hussey Gay Bell spanned 50 years, and he maintained his leadership role as chairman from 1986 thru 2012. Most importantly, and without exception, he considered all of those at Hussey Gay Bell his work family.  He spent much time and went to great lengths to help others overcome obstacles, give wise counsel when asked, or just talk through an issue.  His business acumen was unparalleled, witnessed by his son who worked with him for over two decades. He was that unique engineer and businessman who could always pull together a team and “figure it out.”

Gus was a true sportsman and athlete throughout his life and was game to play (win) most anything. An avid snow skier, he made annual trips to the Colorado mountains taking his last run at 81 years old wearing his vintage 1978 jumpsuit. His true passions in life were his children, grandchildren, golf and beating anyone in gin rummy—including his grandchildren. Ever the raconteur, his vivid stories were usually peppered with a few of his regular Busterisms: “We’re cooking with grease,” “She would make a bulldog break his chain,” “If you’re waiting on me, you’re backing up,” “I’m just a country boy from Dillon,” and he playfully/regretfully told his children that “any grade over a C is a waste of time” among many others, most of which are not suitable for print.

Though he played golf all over the country and in Europe (particularly Scotland), Wade Hampton Golf Club in Cashiers, NC was truly his most beloved and revered place. The time at Wade Hampton with dear friends was spent playing golf (ALWAYS keeping score), competing every night in gin rummy (again ALWAYS keeping score), smoking cigars, and enjoying a glass of wine, certainly ranks as some of the best experiences in his life. Remarkably, Gus had SIX holes-in-one and has each golf ball accompanied by the date, location, distance and hole number, prominently displayed in a glass case. His hole-in-one on the 6th hole at Wade Hampton on June 11, 1991 occurred on one of the many Wade golf outings with his son.

Mr. Bell’s extensive history of philanthropy and commitment to the community includes engagement in a host of leadership and civic activities. Gus served on the boards of Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah (chairman), Mercer University, Memorial Health Medical Center, Savannah Electric and Power Company, Georgia Power, Savannah Economic Development Authority, Telfair Academy, Savannah Country Day School, Dillon Key Club, Memorial Medical Center Provident Foundation, St. Andrew’s on the Marsh School, Independent Presbyterian Church School, Georgia State Chamber of Commerce, The Citadel Advisory Board, First Presbyterian Church (treasurer), SunTrust Bank of Savannah, Wilmington Island Presbyterian Church, Olympic Arts Ashore Board (Savannah 1996 Olympic venue), and the Civitan Club. He invested heavily in education, including Mercer University and The Citadel, and he was one of three founders of St. Andrews on the Marsh School in Savannah.

Other appointments, awards and volunteer activities of note include Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame 2010 inductee, an appointment by Governor Perdue of Georgia to serve on the Georgia Water Council, State Senate Committee for Indigent Care (Chatham County & Memorial Medical Center), The Citadel’s President’s Resource Council, American-Saudi Business Roundtable, Telfair Academy Building Committee, and The Citadel School of Engineering Academy of Engineers honoree in 2014.  

He was also a member of the Savannah Golf Club (president), Savannah Yacht Club (board), Secession Golf Club, Headwaters, Wade Hampton Golf Club, The Chattooga Club, The Oglethorpe Club (president), St. Andrew’s Society (president), Cotillion Club (board), and The Chatham Club. Gus was a faithful member of First Presbyterian Church in Savannah, where he served as treasurer, and also attended Church of the Good Shepherd in Cashiers, NC.

Any room, any place, was made better with Gus Bell in it. His large stature was most fitting for his large personality and extra-large life.  One family friend, upon learning of his death, said simply “he was a tour de force.” There is no doubt he lived to the absolute fullest and did not miss a minute he could spend with his family and friends. A proud Scotsman and member of the St. Andrew’s Society, he never met a plaid he didn’t like and frequently wore as many together as he could muster. He was our protector, our family fixer (“now if you get into trouble do not call your parents, call your grandfather”), master of the George Foreman grill, a Citadel bulldog through and through, occasionally a hard-headed fella (after we finally took away the keys to his car he simply bought another one that afternoon), competitive in all things most often with himself, preferred military time, showed immeasurable grit and determination every day of his life, was the first and last person on the dance floor entertaining his partners with his signature down-low move, and he never failed to make certain each one of his children and grandchildren knew that they alone were Buster’s favorite (“shhhh…this is just between you and me”).

We will miss everything about him, including his plaid parade.

Gus was predeceased by his parents, his wife of 42 years Mandy Morris Bell, and his wife of 3 years Jan Hall Bell.  He is survived by his three children, Lisa Bell Dargan (Perrin), Adair Bell Woods (Jim),

G. Holmes Bell, IV (Lisa), his devoted siblings Suzanne Bell McLaurin (Mac), Sion Bell (Debbie), his adoring grandchildren Amanda Cornelson (Shaw), Marshall Rodman (Max), Grace Weisiger, Elizabeth Woods, William Woods, John Woods, Gus Bell V, Sides Bell, Wylly Bell and his great grandchildren, Cab Cornelson, Louise Bell Cornelson and another great grandchild on the way. He is also survived by many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The family would like to extend enormous thanks to Gus’s caretakers in his final few years, most especially Tracie Blackwell, Mel Roper, Sonia Moore and Catherine Ward, the attentive concierge team and staff at the DeSoto Hilton residences, his assistant of 24 years Anne Adams Waters, Stephen Williams, former minister of First Presbyterian Church, his HGB family, his team of doctors, Hospice nurse Shelly Vajk, and all who loved and cared for our Dad. Thank you.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, July 25th, 11:00 am at Independent Presbyterian Church, 207 Bull Street.  All are invited to a reception immediately following the service at The Oglethorpe Club.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to The Citadel Foundation, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC 29409 and First Presbyterian Church, 520 Washington Avenue, Savannah, GA 31405.