William Hardy Risteen

William H. Risteen, 88, a retired supervisory engineer with the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration died on April 24, 2016, of heart and lung complications. Mr. Risteen was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin. He graduated from Chippewa Falls High School in Wisconsin in 1945 and joined the Navy attending various radio, electronics and radar schools. After graduating from Michigan Technological University in 1951 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he joined the Air Force and served in Korea as a B-26 navigator in the 90th Bomb Squadron. After his discharge as a Captain in 1957, he came to Northern Virginia and continued his military career by flying in Reserve and National Guard units, retiring as a Major in 1968. Mr. Risteen joined the Department of Transportation in 1967 and retired in 1992. He spent most of his career encouraging the various motor vehicle manufacturers to recall products that allegedly contained safety related defects. He was an avid golfer and a member of Army Navy Country Club. His wife, the former Grace Ann Malone whom he married in 1955, died in 1994. He is survived by two sons, Reed Risteen of Old Saybrook, Connecticut, daughter-in law Kathleen Hannon and granddaughters Bailey and Riley, and Eric Risteen of Waynesville, North Carolina, daughter-in-law Tracey Risteen and grandsons Benjamin and Daniel. He is also survived by his sister Carole Ann Risteen and her husband Leon Hardee of Deltona, Florida. The visitation is scheduled for Saturday, May 7, 2016 from 1-3pm at the Demaine Funeral Home, 10565 Main Street, Fairfax. A short reception will follow the visitation. The funeral will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date to be determined.