William M. Bissell

Colonel William Maines Bissell, Age 93, of El Paso, TX passed away September 15, 2023, in De Soto, KS.  He was born in Providence, RI on December 31, 1929, and spent the first nine years there. He relocated with his family to Midland, TX and spent most of his school years there. Each summer from Age 14-17 he worked on a dude ranch in Cheyenne, WY where he obtained his love for “cowboy” life. He shared many fun stories of this time and valued that experience greatly. When he was a young adult, he joined the US Army and was drafted to the Korean War with the primary function of building infrastructure between North/South Korea. After active duty he remained in the US Army Reserves until his retirement in the late ‘80s. He came back from the war and attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX and obtained a degree in Civil Engineering. He was employed with Parkhill, Smith & Cooper (PSC) and was a big contributor to many large projects in The State of Texas. He spent the rest of his long professional career with PSC until his retirement in 1989. He was an accomplished artist specializing in both watercolor and pen & ink and was owner of Bissell Art Studio for many years with his wife, Nancy and continued to paint until his death. He won many prestigious awards over the years as an artist.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Margaret Bissell; brother Robert; sister Margaret “Peggy” and first wife Patsy.

He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Nancy; sons Gary (Tamyra Davis), Brian (Sylvia) and Bruce (Mariana Angoa); daughter Jennifer (Steve) and several grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Graveside services at Fort Bliss Cemetery on November 3, 2023, at 2:30 pm.