Robert Frank Wissert

Born in Richmond Hill, New York, to Susanna and William Wissert on March 31, 1923, Robert "Bud" Wissert was one of six children. He grew up surrounded by his grandparents and many relatives. After a Catholic school education, Bud joined the Navy in 1941. He served as an Aviation Mechanic's Mate in Florida, Texas, California and Hawaii until the end of WWII, leaving the Navy in 1946. He returned home to meet and marry the love of his life, Betty Lee Weiss, in 1952. He decided to go to college to study civil engineering but once his daughter Lynne was born in 1955, he quit to work full-time for various construction companies in New York City. He worked to assure the quality control of the concrete pours for buildings such as the Guggenheim Museum, the TWA terminal at JFK Airport and the World Trade Center.

He, Betty Lee and Lynne moved to Huntington, Long Island and he made the one-hour commute into the city every day for work. It was on one of those many trips into the city that he had a near-fatal car accident in January of 1959. Given little chance of surviving, it was only through the skillful hands of a surgeon, the prayers of hundreds of people, and the miraculous intercession of St. Jude that he survived and made a full recovery. In his personal life he was a voracious reader. He became an accomplished woodworker, building the colonial furniture they liked but couldn't afford. He was always busy around the house and with both of them being handy and creative, it seemed there wasn't much he and Betty Lee couldn't do to make their home cozy and welcoming.

In the mid-1970's, he began working for Minuteman Press, using his drafting skills to lay out the design of their main headquarters. In 1977, he and Betty Lee made the move to Dallas to open up the Texas area for the company's printing franchise operation. In 1979, they saw Lynne marry her high school sweetheart, Dave Morrison. He supported Dave's dream to fly as it had been an unrealized goal of his to be a commercial pilot and he was a very proud father-in-law indeed when Dave achieved his dream as a Captain for American Airlines. As much as they enjoyed their time in Dallas, they were very happy to return to their home in Huntington where they enjoyed the arrival of their Grandson, Drew in 1983 and their Granddaughter, Lee, in 1985. They enjoyed Bud's retirement by staying close with his and Betty Lee's family, taking road trips to visit friends spread all over the country and by simply spending time together at home until Betty Lee's death in 1997.

He then moved to a Riverhead, Long Island retirement community where he spent 21 years enjoying many friends like Muriel Seim while keeping up with the many others he and Betty Lee had made through the years. He still enjoyed making beautiful pieces of furniture but his love of woodworking turned to carving - his favorite subject being horses. He kept up with news and current events and made many visits back to Texas to spend time with Lynne, Dave, Drew and Lee who had moved there in 1986.

He moved once again to Texas in 2022 to live in a Coppell independent living community where he made a whole new group of friends who quickly adopted the 6'4" New Yorker as their own. He enjoyed his 100th birthday on March 31, 2023 at a party that celebrated this amazing father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, brother and friend surrounded by so many family and friends who loved him.

After a challenging year of declining health, Bud passed away surrounded by family on March 3, 2024. He is survived by his daughter, Lynne, son-in-law, Dave, grandson, Drew and his wife, Kristina, granddaughter, Lee, and her husband, Joe Magnetico, great-grandson Dominic, sister Joan Wissert Gambino and many loving nieces, nephews and countless friends he made throughout the years. This kind, outgoing, bigger-than-life gentleman that everyone loved will be greatly missed.