Clifford E. Bissell
Clifford E. Bissell
Cliff was born on December 26, 1925 in Gooding, Idaho and he
died on September 14, 2011 in Boise. He was the youngest of five children born
to Clyde Eugene Bissell and Lizzie Carswell Bissell. He had four older sisters:
Mary, Edna, Vera, and Maudie. The family lived on a farm east of Wendell, Idaho
for a time, and then they moved to another farm north of Gooding. Cliff
graduated from Gooding High School in 1944 where he was the president of the
student council.
After high school, he joined the Naval ROTC program, first
at Idaho State University and then at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He
received his degree in Electrical Engineering in 1947 and, because the war was
over, he received an honorable discharge from the Navy that summer.
Cliff spent his entire career working for Idaho Power
Company, starting in the fall of 1947. He worked on the construction of several
power plants along the Snake River: Lower Salmon, Lower Malad, Upper Malad, and
Bliss.
In June of 1949 he married Phyllis Stone of Gooding. They
lived in the Hagerman Valley until November, 1955, when Cliff became supervisor
for the construction of the Brownlee, Oxbow, and Hells Canyon dams. Cliff,
Phyllis, and their four children lived in Hells Canyon for thirteen years until
construction was complete. In 1968, Cliff was transferred to corporate
headquarters, and the family moved to Boise. Cliff traveled extensively in his
work for Idaho Power. When he retired in 1990, he was the Senior Vice President
in charge of power plant operations and construction.
Cliff was an outstanding woodworker, and he built several
beautiful pieces of furniture as well as toys for his kids and grandchildren.
With the help of family, he built a cabin near Pine in 1971, and the family
enjoyed many good times there. He also loved growing a huge vegetable garden
each summer, and he always freely gave the surplus to his friends and
neighbors.
Cliff is survived by his wife, Phyllis, his sister, Vera
Wilson, and his four children and their spouses: David Bissell and his wife
Kimberly, Nancy McElmurry and her husband Brian, Gail Landau and her husband
Bill, and Mary Jean Renstrom and her husband Brian. He is also survived by his
eight grandchildren: Katie Kirk, Tom McElmurry, Geoff Renstrom, Noah Landau,
Simi Landau, Lizzy Landau, Victoria Peregrina, and Alexander Bissell. He was
preceded in death by his parents and three of his sisters: Mary Harvey, Edna
Miller, and Maudie Boyer.
Memorial services will be held at Hillview Methodist Church (8525
Ustick Road) on Tuesday, September 20, at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the
family requests donations to a favorite charity. Arrangements are under the
direction of Alden-Waggoner Funeral Chapel, Boise.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Clifford E. Bissell, please visit our flower store.
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