Obituary of Edward W. Bishop

Edward W. Bishop was born on March 9, 1923 in Bridgeport, Conn. He was working at the Singer Manufacturing Company when he was drafted in 1943. Classified and assigned to the United States Army Air Corps as a navigator of B-24 aircraft, he flew over 25 missions out of England. His active duty ended in 1945, after which he enrolled at the University of Connecticut on the G.I. Bill. There he studied Psychology and met his wife of 56 years at a basketball game. He graduated with Honors from UConn in 1950. He was married to Mary (Betty) Roper of Moosup, Conn. in August, 1951 and shortly thereafter was recalled from the Reserves to serve in the Korean War as a B-29 navigator. He flew over two dozen missions and ended his service as a decorated First Lieutenant in 1953. In 2008, he was honored for service to his country at a Memorial Day ceremony in Eastford, Conn. "Bish," as he was known to most, became a lifelong employee of Dunlap and Associates, the human factors engineering company of which he was Vice President. He resided for many years in Darien, Conn., and enjoyed life as a devoted family man, friend, community member, and worker. He served on the Darien Board of Education and was an active church member. After retirement, he and Betty settled at their beloved cottage on Crystal Pond in Eastford, Conn. His family and friends remember him for his gentlemanly manner, his wealth of knowledge on a variety of subjects, and his quick, dry sense of humor. He enjoyed photography throughout his life and left archives of thousands of slides, prints, and movies of family and friends. He suffered from dementia later in life, and died at the age of 87 on October 2, 2010 after a brief respiratory illness. Bish was predeceased by his wife; a brother, Kenneth, and a sister, Dorothy (Scheibel). He is survived by a sister, Mildred Barr of Zephyrhills, Fla., a brother, James, of Woodbridge, Conn.; his son, Charles Bishop and daughter-in-law Therese Milesi Bishop of Syracuse, New York; his daughter, Meg Bishop, son-in-law Felix Klee and their children, Emily Klee, Alena Klee, and Elizabeth Bishop of Eastford, Conn., and many nieces and nephews and their children. A Memorial Service will be Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 2:00 PM at the First Congregational Church of Woodstock, 543 Route 169, Woodstock, CT. Burial is private in Grove Cemetery, Eastford, CT In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Betty '50 and Bish '50 Bishop Scholarship Fund at the UCONN Foundation inc. 2390 Alumni Drive, Unit 3206, Storrs, CT 06269, or to Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island, 1085 North Main Street, Providence, RI 02904. To share a memory with his family "Light a Candle" at www.smithandwalkerfh.com