Corinne Mae Bissell

On May 14, 2025, our grandmother and mother, Corinne Mae Bissell, passed away at home, 12 days after her identical twin, Arline, at the age of 96. Corinne and Arline were born in Springfield, Massachusetts on August 28, 1928. Corinne was an accidental adventurer. As kids, we listened to her stories with feverish excitement, and they filled our imaginations with wonder. Even so, she often laughed as if her adventures were typical. However, her life was far from common place. For starters, she traveled to (or lived on) six of the seven continents—something rarely done in her generation. Because her father was an officer in the Navy, she and her family lived in Cuba in the 1930s, then later in Shanghai until the day the Japanese invaded. Her mother, twin, and brother then crossed the Pacific Ocean on the Queen Elizabeth (as the world was on the verge of war) back to the U.S.—leaving the family’s pet monkey behind. The twins finished high school in Washington D.C. before heading to the University of Maryland and meeting their respective husbands. In the early 1950s, her husband Robert (Bob) Bissell (an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel) and Corinne were stationed in Utah before settling in Maryland to raise their three children: Roger, Renee, and Robin. With Bob, she traveled to Alaska, South America, Montana, Rhode Island, Portugal, Colorado, Scotland, the Caribbean… the list goes on. Together, they sailed, skied, beached, road-tripped, and regularly visited her twin in California. Photo albums were a mix of travels, family portraits, her beloved dogs, and engineering feats (Bob’s personal favorite). Corinne’s adventures may have been “accidental”. She might’ve been more of a “lodge mom” than a downhill skier, but she passed something on to future generations of Bissells. Perhaps it’s our shared rebellious streak, but all of us—children and grandchildren alike—live adventurous lives. Bob and Corinne eventually settled on the Eastern Shore. Growing up, visiting our grandparents was as sweet as a summer’s day: feeding ducks, crabbing, swimming in the pool, searching for four-leaf clovers, playing Phase 10, drinking Orangina, and watching summer storms pass overhead. Corinne was a good Christian woman and champion of the underdog, except when it came to Bridge. She was an absolute shark at Bridge and showed no mercy when it came to the game. She was one of the best players in Talbot County—and played into her 90s. Despite the requests, she did not teach any of her family members. At 93, she met her second-best friend (the first being her twin, of course), Rebecca. Rebecca quickly became a member of the family, sparking a new light in her eyes—a light we hadn’t seen since Bob passed away in 2014. Rebecca brought Corinne a renewed sense of joy. Together, they danced, laughed, and simply enjoyed watching the birds out the window and Animal Planet, or sitting on the front porch watching the world go round. That love and friendship softened Corinne in a way that proves we never stop growing. A long-standing family lore was the unbreakable bond between Corinne and Arline. The twins had a connection unlike any other. Their collective nine children joked that they had two moms, and for many of their grandchildren—especially when we were younger—it was nearly impossible to tell them apart. One grandchild even brought the two of them to show-and-tell in the first grade. Despite living 3,000 miles apart in adulthood, their “twin ESP” was undeniable: getting their hair done on the same day and in the same style, buying the same glasses, finishing each other’s sentences, sharing the same mannerisms (including their trademark pspsps sound), and, despite the distance, feeling the same feelings. Even though neither of them could really hear each other, they regularly spoke on the phone as if hearing didn’t matter — all that mattered was the love, and that they had each other to navigate life. We extend our deepest gratitude to Rebecca Jones and Alfreda Copper, along with her friends that visited in her final days, the kind, caring, loving staff at Heartfields, Home Instead, and Talbot County Hospice. Corinne is survived by her three children, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Bob, her parents, William Henry Davis and Lucretia Mae Davis, her sister Arline and brother George, as well as her beloved Buffy. Any donations can be given to Talbot County Hospice, Habitat for Humanity, and your favorite animal care center. Her funeral will be held Thursday, the 26th of June at The Church of Holy Trinity, Oxford, Maryland. The service will begin at 11:00, followed by a reception in the Church Hall. For online condolences, please visit: www.fhnfuneralhome.com

Corinne Mae Bissell

August 28, 1928 - May 14, 2025