Willard was born on July 13, 1933 to Ray Charles Bissell and Catherine Bissell (nee Jones) in Denver, Colorado. He was the middle child of five boys. After Willard graduated from East High School in Denver in 1951, he went on to study at CU Boulder, taking a break from college to enlist in the US Marine corp from 1953-1956. After attending boot camp in San Diego and training in artillery, in 1954 he attended cold weather training at the base of Mt. Fuji at Camp McNair and in 1955 served at the Marine Corps base in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu. Willy said later that his stint in the ‘Marnie Corps’ taught him the most important lessons in his life, and formed him as a human being.
After graduating from CU in 1956 with a degree in Geology, he moved to San Francisco where he became reacquainted with Harriet Felten, who had also studied at CU. They married in 1960 and went on to have three children, Eric, Catherine, and Christina.
The couple returned to Colorado to raise their family, where Willard eventually started a successful company in industrial supply. An avid golfer and fly fisherman, Willard retired in 1986 and enjoyed spending time on the golf course and various Colorado rivers. He was very involved in Trout Unlimited and volunteered for Community Food Share and the OUR Center. He enjoyed painting and was a champion of public art, serving on the City of Longmont’s Art in Public Places board and collecting paintings and bronzes of Western art. Willy loved to quote poetry and was a keen reader- he enjoyed learning new words and correcting people’s grammar!
A member of the Longmont Buddhist Temple for many years, Willy truly practiced the tenets of buddhism, and particularly valued kindness.
Willard was predeceased by Eric (2016) and Harriet (2017). He is survived by his two daughters (Catherine Maxwell, Christina Hildebrandt), four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Willy was a well-loved father and grandfather; the kind of person one could always count on for support and sage advice. He will be dearly missed and remembered with love.
We invite you all to share pictures or memories. It was his wish that we laugh and reminisce, and smile together during this time. Right about here, he would probably have cracked a joke. You may share memories and view pictures of his life on Dignitymemorial.com
A celebration of life will be held at Sandstone Ranch on September 14th at 3 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Longmont Buddhist Temple or the Longmont Humane Society, two organizations Willard felt strongly about.
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