Obituary

WILLIAM F. "BILL" BISSETT
(April 18, 1925 - July 15, 2014)

On July 15, 2014, WILLIAM F. "BILL" BISSETT, 89, passed away quietly after a long bout with cancer and a brief stay at both St. Mary's Hospital and Huntington Hospice House. He was born on April 18, 1925, to Bill and Helen Bissett in Bayonne, New Jersey. In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in death by his sister, Jeannine. Bill is survived by the love of his life, Anna May, with whom he was married for more than sixty-seven (67) wonderful years. As Anna May would tell it, they moved more than 17 times during Bill's military and civilian career, often with a babe in arms and once to England. In addition to his loving wife, Bill is survived by his three children, Sue Thompson (Chick) of Fort Gay, W.Va., Cindy Price (Eric) of Charleston, W.Va., and Bill Bissett (Lara) of Lexington, Ky.; five grandchildren, Erica Johnson (Dusty), Anna Price, Wesley Price, and Molly and Maggie Bissett; one great-grandchild, Daniel Johnson; and one brother, Russ (Shirley) of South Carolina. Bill served his country in the United States Air Force for many years, including during wartime in World War II and the Korean Conflict. He later participated in spy plane missions over China and Russia as part of a secret government program. It was through these missions, which were declassified fifty years later, that Bill earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. Bill retired from the United States Air Force Reserve in 1985 as a Major. In addition to his Military Career, Bill also excelled in his civilian career. After living in many places and rising through the ranks of his employer, Bill and Anna May returned to Huntington, West Virginia, so Bill could serve as President of INCO, which is now named Special Metals. In addition to his responsibilities at INCO, Bill also served on the boards of the Huntington Area Chamber of Commerce and the Guyan Country Club, as well as an industry advisory council to then-Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger. After retiring from Inco Alloys International in 1987, Bill enjoyed his retirement by playing golf, reading and flying whenever possible with his wife, Anna May. When asked if it was a stupid question to ask if he enjoyed retirement, Bill simply replied, "Yes." The Bissett family thanks the staff of St. Mary's Hospital and Huntington Hospice House for doing all they could to prolong Bill's life then make him as comfortable as possible when the end drew near. We also want to thank Drs. Bir, Garza, Kumar, Lewis, and Purohit, as well as the late Dr. George, who demonstrated great care and compassion in their care for Bill. While all of us in the Bissett family will miss our time here with Bill, we know he is in a better place, because, as the song says, "There are no fighter pilots down in Hell." Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, at the Wallace Funeral Home, Barboursville. Funeral services will be conducted at 1 p.m. Friday, July 18, 2014 at Our Lady of Fatima, Huntington with Father Dean Borgmeyer officiating. Burial will be in Ridgelawn Memorial Park, Huntington. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Huntington, P.O. Box 464, Huntington, WV 25709.