RICHARD A. BISSELL, age 54, of Eureka and Arcata, and formerly of Ocean City, N.J., born April 10, 1966 in Abington, Penn., to Richard Bissell and Sheila (Moss) Bissell, sadly died January 8, 2021 from the long-term effects of alcoholism and mental health issues. Predeceased by his mother, Sheila (Moss) Bissell, all four grandparents and numerous aunts and uncles.

Survived by loving parents Richard and (“second mom”) Celeste L. Bissell, as well as brothers Charles (Rachel) Bissell, and Dr. Michael, Ph.D (Anna) Bissell, and sisters Catharine Migioia and Sheila (Alfredo Aquino) Bissell, nephews Conal (whom he raised in California for eight years), James, Henry, Martin, Luke, Sean, Caiden, and Owen Bissell and Max Migioia, as well as niece Reyna Bissell.

Richard was born in Abington, Penn. and lived in Glenside Penn. til the age of seven; he then spent five years living in Chalfont, Penn., and moved to Ocean City N.J. in the seventh grade. Grandaddy Bissell gave Richard the nickname “Me Too!” when (older brother) Charles would want some treat, and Richard wanted one too. Meanwhile, he referred to himself as “Witchuud” because he couldn’t pronounce his R’s for several years. Richard always had a soft spot for the elderly, neighbors and family, and he loved to spend each evening on the front porch of Miss Green’s house when he was just 5yrs old.

Richard always LOVED Christmastime, and the family LOVED their ‘Charlie Brown’ Christmas trees for a few years. Late on Christmas Eve nights, after trees were done being sold, Richard’s father would go to the Acme parking lot and gather a bunch of tree scraps and a decent trunk, and then spend a couple hours taping branches to the trunk with black electrical tape to make it look full. The whole family would then decorate the tree with balls, shiny tinsel, and handmade ornaments while Christmas music played, and the stockings were hung on the mantle. Richard ALWAYS loved Christmas in his heart, but his later years found great sadness in the holiday season.

When he was about seven years old, on the morning after his family’s move to Chalfont, Rick & Rob Hennessey rang the bell and asked if the two new kids could come out to play. The former owner of the house had never let them in the treehouse before, and on that day, and in that treehouse, a lifelong friendship between all 4 boys was started. It was also around the age of seven that Richard was selected to play the lead part in Butler Elementary’s production of Pinocchio (and he was excellent in it!). Anyone who knew Richard for the rest of his life was sure to have heard him still sing that trademark tune, as he carried it in his heart as part of him, and he truly lived his entire life following its primary message:

“I’ve got no strings
To hold me down
To make me fret
Or make me frown
I had strings
But now I’m free
There are no strings on me”

In retrospect, Richard pretty much lived his life in every way similar to Pinocchio’s song of freedom. As a teenager in Ocean City, N.J., Richard became known around town for biking everywhere on his beach cruiser, for his distinctive bouncy walk on his toes, and the Sony Walkman headphones that seemed surgically attached to his ears 24 hours a day. He got into plenty of mischief when he was a teenager, including throwing snowballs at passing cars, tossing a Boardwalk bench over the rail and into the ocean (which rightfully earned him a couple months’ time in the Juvenile Diversion program where he had to wash police cars and do other community chores). He and his sister later trespassed on the boardwalk’s Giant Slide one snowy evening, and sped down the snow covered giant slopes in bread trays from Taylor Pork Roll. They’d quickly figured out that using a stray shopping cart didn’t work as well, as it just toppled over loudly! The noise, and the hooting & hollering of several kids prompted someone nearby to call the police, and all the kids who were present scattered like bugs (and didn’t get caught!).

In his typical independent way, Richard chose to wear his orthodontic headgear 24 hours a day for one month (just to get it over with), instead of wearing it nightly for the recommended three months. He just always had to do things his own way!

Richard attended Ocean City High School, where he rightfully earned numerous detentions for pulling practical jokes and gags that annoyed the teachers, and funny mischief, and blew off his homework assignments all the time. It was during that time that he began smoking marijuana, and was known for being a chronic over-sleeper. He signed himself out of school at the age of 16, and earned his GED on his own terms a short time later. He had several ‘partners in crime’ during those high school years that he always seemed to get in trouble with (T. Bradshaw, B. Tochterman), and a couple of good long-term friends who did their best to keep him more on the straight & narrow (J. Golday, N. Cornman).

Also in 1985, his first real love and dearest friend was tragically killed in a car crash, and Richard’s heart was completely shattered. And although he dated as an adult, he never married, and he continued to deeply mourn her passing for the rest of his life. This loss truly pained him for the rest of his life.

After a few years’ work in South Jersey, he was drawn to California for college, where he attended Ventura Community College, College of the Redwoods, and later graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in French Studies from Humboldt State University (Arcata). As he prepared to move from Ocean City to California, his dad was really craving having a BBQ with him, but they had no grill at that time. Richard, in his typical manner, went out and purchased a small grill, some Kingsford charcoal briquettes, and they subsequently enjoyed a memorable BBQ together. It was so good, in fact, that his dad kept repeating it and BBQing EVERYTHING in sight for the next couple of years, from which his dad affectionately became known as “Barbecue Dicky.”

Once Richard moved up to Humboldt County and attended HSU, Richard began working at Brio Breadworks. In his thirteen years there, and he moved up to become shift manager for quite some time. At Brio, he coordinated the commercial production of artisanal breads and rolls for restaurants, for food stores, and farmer’s markets. He absolutely loved and valued the professional relationships he nurtured with clients all around the Humboldt area, and enjoyedrunning the Brio booth at the weekly Arcata Farmer’s Market on the Plaza. More recently, he worked for Los Bagels, Arcata Pizza & Deli, and Humboldt State University’s Bursar’s Office as a driver. Sadly, Covid-19 likely set into motion the final decline of Richard’s life. He lost his job(s), stopped biking, was completely isolated, and his illnesses took their last downward spiral.

Throughout his life, and in a quirky way that was uniquely his own, Richard was always proud of his screen-printing skills gained while working at Wild Oats Silk Screening in Cape May Court House, N.J., and was still recently seen wearing VERY well-preserved shirts and screen prints from the 1980s. He was proud of his work ethic when he was healthy and was dedicated to his employment, he was proud of his individual relationships with family members young and old, and he was immensely proud of his giant chiseled calves from a lifetime of soccer and biking.

He had an intense love of all things marijuana, and all things soccer (including what seemed a moderate crush on Lucy Bronze (UK), FIFA Women’s World Cup (2019) champion); He loved with a passion The Grateful Dead, The Doors, Janis Joplin, live concerts (of which he attended MANY), tie dye shirts and sweatshirts, biking the Humboldt County coastline and cliffs, and the Redwood forests, as well as twice completing The Tour of the Unknown Coast 100-mile Century Ride.

In all his life experiences, though, Richard was most proud of raising (for eight years) his nephew, Conal Bissell, and sharing with him his love of Humboldt County’s beauty, the annual Oyster festival, the quirky Kinetic Sculpture Race, numerous art festivals, and the Arcata Farmer’s Market. Richard & Conal enjoyed a family trip to Hawaii for Michael’s wedding, many family gatherings in N.J. with Richard’s dad and “his 2nd mom” Celeste, as well as with all four siblings, and he was worshiped as an absolute idol by all the nieces and nephews who loved him.

Some of Conal’s favorite memories include: the one-hour drives out to Willow Creek to swim in the river or watch the salmon swim upriver, playing frisbee golf, the Reggae On The River Festival, cheering on the Philadelphia Phillies as they played in San Francisco, camping in nature, exploring historic sites and Native American caves/culture, and the times when Richard coached Conal’s soccer team.

Richard had perfected Julia Child’s three-day brine recipe for Thanksgiving Turkey dinners, and he absolutely LOVED putting the holiday meal together and inviting a lonely friend or two to join them. He never missed an opportunity to put together a well-rounded holiday meal that would make his ancestors proud.

Over the years, Richard traveled cross-country in his little blue Mazda numerous times to just show up on family’s doorstep (by surprise), and those surprises were nothing short of epic. His surprise trips were ALWAYS perfectly timed around a holiday or birthday, and he really knew how to make people feel special and valued. He also had a way of giving the very best hugs, completely enveloping you in his long arms and holding on with tight warmth.

Richard loved shooting pool in Oxnard and Eureka with his bro/roommate Michael, he attended the World Cup Soccer match (1994) in north Jersey with bros Michael and Charles, he played indoor soccer in Humboldt, and taught most of his nephews some fancy footwork skills on the beaches of Ocean City N.J..

For all these reasons, and hundreds more, Richard is already missed beyond measure. He was a GIANT presence in the lives of all who knew him, and we’re forever blessed by having known & loved him.

Quoting one of Richard’s favorite Grateful Dead songs, (’Ripple’) seems the perfect way to remember Richard now:

“If my words did glow
With the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played
On the harp unstrung
Would you hear my voice
Come through the music
Would you hold it near
as it were your own?”

A memorial service in his honor will likely be planned for family and friends in Ocean City, N.J. for late summer 2021 (post-Covid).

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Richard Bissell’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.