Obituaries

Funeral services for Robert S. Bissell of Cordele will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 13, 2010 in the chapel of Rainey Family Funeral Service. Burial will follow in Evergreen Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends at the funeral home Friday evening from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. Mr. Bissell, 80, passed away Wednesday at Crisp Regional Hospital after a lengthy illness. He was born in Akron, Ohio and was the son of the late Ivan Crawford and Ethel Spanton Bissell. Bob spent his youth in Decatur and received his education at Georgia Military Academy, Decatur Boys High and Stetson University. He married the former Mayson Thornton in 1953 and was associated with the family business, Cordele Sash, Door, and Lumber Company for 34 years. He was a past state president of the Building Materials Association. After the sale of Cordele Sash, he purchased the Chrysler dealership. He sold the dealership in 1988 and spent many years playing golf at Pine Hills Country Club until a massive stroke in 2000. An avid sports fan, Bob was a loyal Georgia Tech supporter. He served as Little League president and Crisp County Booster Club president. He was a fity-year member of the Cordele Lions Club and served in various positions including president and was also awarded the Melvin Jones Leadership award. Bob served as president and vice president of the Cordele Jaycees and was named "Young Man Of The Year" in 1958. He was a long-time member of Cordele First Baptist Church and was a past president of the Baraca Sunday School Class. He also served on the usher committee. Bob is survived by his wife, Mayson Thornton Bissell of Cordele; three children, Lynn Bissell Reed and her husband, Mark of Raleigh, NC, Rob Bissell and his wife, Helen, and Wayne Bissell and his wife, Lynn, all of Augusta; eight grandchildren, Brad Reed, Blake Reed, Alyson Reed, Lindsay Bissell, Ellie Bissell, Ben Bissell, Kate Bissell and Will Bissell; and one great-granddaughter, Vanesa Reed. He was preceded in death by a brother, William F. Bissell. Flowers are appreciated but those desiring to honor Bob with memorials are asked to consider Georgia Baptist Children's Home, 9420 Blackshear Highway, Baxley, GA 31513-9982, Georgia Sheriff's Youth Home, P.O. Box 1000, Stockbridge, GA 30281-9878 or Habitat For Humanity, P.O. Box 1191, Cordele, GA 31010