Harvey Maurice Bissell

Harvey Maurice Bissell, 77, of Wauchula, went to be with his Lord Jesus Christ, on Wednesday, March 12, 2014. He was born in Ticonderoga, New York, on September 23, 1936 to Chester A. Bissell and Mary A. Jennings Bissell Jordan. Harvey spent his early years in Newcomb, New York in the heart of the Adirondacks. He loved to spend time outdoors climbing mountain trails; he even climbed Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. He graduated from Newcomb High School in 1954. After graduation he received a grant to attend The National Hardwood Lumber Association School in Memphis, Tennessee. Upon completion, he was employed by the Atlantic Lumber Company until being drafted by the U. S. Army in 1959. He served as a company clerk in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina and was honorably discharged in 1962. He then continued his career in the lumber business working over the next 40 years for the Atlantic Lumber Company as a salesman throughout the Northeast, for Kimberly-Clark Corporation in Buena Vista, Virginia as a lumber grader, and for Pulaski Wood Company (a division of Baillee Lumber Company) as the plant manager and lumber grader at their Boonville, New York plant. He retired in 2001. Harvey served his church and community wherever he was living. Through the years, he was a trustee, deacon, Sunday school teacher, Bible study leader, church moderator, and choir member. He could also be found cooking in the church kitchen or remodeling the parsonage. Harvey was an active leader in such organizations as The Ruritan Club, The Masonic Fraternity (Past Grand Master of the Boonville Lodge, having his 32nd degree; active member of the Wauchula Lodge), the Boonville Area Chamber of Commerce, on the board of directors for the Dodge-Pratt-Northam Art and Community Center, the N.Y.S. Woodsmens Field Days Committee, a founding member of the Wauchula American Legion Post and a dedicated volunteer at Hilltop Elementary School where he logged over 2500 hours of classroom service. Harvey was a loving husband and father. He was united in marriage to Janice A. Matheson on November 7, 1959 in Madison, Maine. They were married for 36 years until her death in 1995. On June 6, 1998 he was given another gift of love when he married Peggy-Ann Meekins Bissell in Port Leyden, New York. Harvey is survived by his loving wife, Peggy-Ann of Wauchula; daughter, Karen E. Bissell of Broken Arrow, OK; son, Kevin E. Bissell of Wylie, TX; step-son, Erik Owens of Boonville, NY; grandsons, Justin T. Groff and fiancee Christen Turner and Drew B. Groff, all of Broken Arrow, OK; granddaughter, Emily Younce and husband Travis, great-grandchildren Constance, Connor, and Cameron Younce, all of Fleming Island, FL; brother, Dennis Jordan and wife Esther and nephews, Dennis Jr., Shane, Chance, and Hunter, of Jacksonville Beach, FL; nephews, Gordon and wife Roberta Bissell of Sutton, AK; Dave and wife Amy Bissell of Frankfort, MI; niece Kathy Bissell Lindback and husband Charles "Chuck" of Port Charlotte, FL; niece, Margaret "Meg" Matheson and husband Frank Wiltuck of Augusta, ME; sister-in-law, Jean MacPherson Matheson of Augusta, ME; mother-in-law, Shirley Meekins of Lowville, NY; brothers/sisters-in-laws, Gary and Jeanne Engle of Lowville, NY, Barb and Skip Myers of NY, Bob and Judy Meekins of Lowville, NY, Timothy and Lisa Meekins of NY, Todd and Christine Swiernik of Clermont, FL, Donna Morse of NY, Beverly Allen of NY, numerous nieces, nephews, and a multitude of friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Chester and Mary; brother and sister-in-law, Wayne Thomas Bissell and Muriel; cousins, Velma, Sharon, and Marvin Bissell; Aunt Ethel and Uncle Roy Bissell; and first wife, Janice Matheson Bissell. Memorial services were held on Sunday, March 16, 2014 at Riverview Heights Missionary Baptist Church. Interment will be at a later date in Park Grove Cemetery in Boonville, NY, following services at First Baptist Church Boonville. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 299, Boonville, NY 13309 or to Riverview Heights Missionary Baptist Church, P.O. Box 581, Wauchula, Fl 33873.

Harvey Maurice Bissell

September 23, 1936 - March 12, 2014