Robert B. Bissell

Robert B. Bissell, aged 87, of Easton, MD, passed away peacefully on Thursday March 13, 2014. Born in Barnsville, GA, on December 16, 1927, Mr. Bissell was the son of the late Theodore Bissell and Isabel Veitch Bissell of College Park, MD; he spent his childhood in Griffin, GA-- and he was very proud of this. In 1952, after graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in Civil Engineering, he went on to serve in the U.S. Air Force as Second Lieutenant in Salt Lake City, UT. Following his years as a Commissioned Officer, in 1954 he returned to Maryland to raise his family and began working at Greenhorne & O’Mara, Inc. as Department Head. Although Mr. Bissell was very well-known for being one of the top engineers in the country, during a time when engineering was one of the most-respected professions, his true passions were for family, faith, friends, golf, skiing, traveling, the sea, and tinkering. His family has fond, vivid memories of sailing with him in the Chesapeake Bay, playing in the ocean, and skiing some of the best peaks in the country. Mr. Bissell was not a man who knew rest; when he visited his family in Colorado, Montana, and Rhode Island, he would often be found working on construction project for his children-- for example, actively participating in the building of their homes or building a deck in less than a week. Whatever project he spearheaded, Mr. Bissell did it with the utmost passion and precision. Throughout his life, Mr. Bissell was continuously active within the church. He also loved singing in the choir, and one could always hear his deep singing voice. His love for classical music continued well into his life, and he would often find comfort in a symphony. As a man of the sea, with a love for sailing, Mr. Bissell belonged to many of Maryland’s yacht clubs including Annapolis Yacht Club and Popper Island Yacht Club. In 1962, Mr. Bissell and his family moved to Severna Park, MD, and Mr. Bissell began his quest for an ever fast sailboat, this quest ended when he bought his first power boat in the 1990s. Nonetheless, this quest made him one of the fastest sailors on the water with an engineer’s mind to test the chart’s accuracy. Mr. Bissell’s long engineering career brought him to many developing countries, and he had a great love for travel with his wife. Mr. Bissell was a man of his hands and his brain, and no project was too simple nor small for him. In 1991, when Mr. Bissell retired as Senior Vice President for Greenhorne & O’Mara, he became active with Habitat for Humanity and started his own, private Civil Engineering consultancy in Easton, MD. Mr. Bissell loved the challenge of Engineering and, well into retirement, would be the first to help out an old friend or new neighbor, with his never rusty surveying tools. In the last five years, Mr. Bissell’s sense of humor especially shone through and he would often belly laugh at funny comments, silly mishaps, or a melting ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day. He was continuously interested in his grandchildren’s international adventures, passion for sports, and, most importantly, their education. Mr. Bissell is survived by his wife, Corinne Bissell, of 63 years; his three children, Roger, Renee, and Robin; his five grandchildren, Jasmine, Isabel, Corinna, Skyler, Fischer; one great grandchild, Omar; and his beloved “best canine friend,” Buffy. Mr. Bissell’s funeral service will be held at Holy Trinity Oxford, 502 South Morris Street, Oxford, MD on Wednesday at 1030 a.m. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memoriam to the Kovler Diabetes Center at the University of Chicago Medicine, ATTN: Peggy Hasenauer, 900 East 57th Street, 8th Floor, RM 8144, Chicago, Illinois 60637.

Robert B. Bissell

December 16, 1927 - March 13, 2014