Gene Bissen

Eugene Nicholas Bissen was born on December 24, 1954, to Walter "Pedro" Herman and Catherine Frances (Brandt) Bissen in Harlan, Iowa. He was baptized and later confirmed his faith at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Earling. He attended St. Joseph Catholic School through eighth grade and graduated from Harlan High School with the class of 1973.

Gene worked for Iowa Beef Processors (later Tyson Foods, Inc.) in Denison and farmed in Earling with his dad and brother Gary. He worked both of these jobs for over thirty years. He also helped local farmers with seasonal work. He was extremely proud of his membership in the Tribe of Archer selling Archer Oil. Gene married Carol Fuhs on April 16, 1983, at St. Mary of Fatima Catholic Church in Portsmouth. He gained one son, Jake when he married Carol and the couple went on to have two more children, Randi Jo and Caleb.

Gene had a love for classic cars. In 1979, he purchased a new Cougar that he proudly drove for many years. He spent several years playing town team baseball. He also enjoyed bowling and other recreational league sports. He was involved with his children's sports and enjoyed spending time playing with them. Most recently he was working at Boyer Valley Company Rendering Service in Arion. He also kept busy helping Mark Assman with farming and Tom Schulte with odd jobs. He was known to some as MacGyver as he was always tinkering and could fix anything one way or another. You could always count on hearing a joke when you ran into Gene. He liked to relax by watching some Houston Astros Baseball or the Red Green Show.

Gene passed away surrounded by his family on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska at the age of 68 years, two months and five days.

He was preceded in death by his father, Walter Bissen and infant sister, Mary. He is survived by his children: Jake (Megan) Fuhs of Shelby, Randi Jo Bissen (Jason Eckermann) of Harlan, Caleb (Haley) Bissen of Harlan; two grandchildren: Ryker and Reya; mother, Catherine Bissen of Council Bluffs; siblings: Gary (Jane) Bissen of Earling, Geralyn "Geri" (Mike) Anderson of Dunlap, Myron Bissen, Twyla (Delbert) Matheny and Helen (Terry) Wolters all of Council Bluffs, Richard (Elisa) Bissen of Keller, Texas, Kevin Bissen and Karen Bissen both of Harlan; many nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.

The visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 14, 2023, at the Huebner Funeral Home in Denison. A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Earling. Memorials may be directed to Dow City Fire and Rescue, Earling Fire and Rescue or St. Joseph's Catholic Church.