Milton Charles Cissell

1944 - 2019

Milton Charles Cissell

Milton Charles Cissell, most often known as Milt, but sometimes Chuck or Butch, was born on December 9, 1944, in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the first of his family to attend college, graduating in 1967 from the University of Missouri at Rolla (now Missouri S&T) with a degree in Chemistry. It was at this point Milt permanently relocated to the Pacific Northwest to continue his education and eventually live out his life. He went on to earn a Master's degree in Chemical Oceanography from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, in 1969 served as an SP5 Analytical Chemist in the Chemical Division at Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah, from April 1969 to April 1971. After an honorable discharge, he returned to Oregon State University to earn a Master's in Business Administration in 1974.

After his graduations, he worked for the National Sea Grant College at Oregon State, making use of both of his master's degrees. In 1981 he obtained a position at the Oregon State Board of Higher Education, where he began working in the programming and systems analysis field. He lived and worked in Corvallis until 1995, when CH2M Hill Inc, his employer of 8 years, relocated to Denver, prompting his family's relocation to Seattle, where he worked for McCaw Cellular / AT&T, and finally Starbucks, where he worked as a software engineer from 1997 until his retirement in 2011.

Milt was a confirmed bachelor until he met Kathleen (Katie) Forse Appell, a bank teller at his local branch. They began dating, and married on April 5, 1986, and he took on the work of raising Katie's three teenage sons with all the love, kindness, and generosity that he brought to everything he did. Though he never had any biological children, he was a natural grandpa to Grace (17), Holden (12), Elinor (8), and Allison (2). He also doted on his mother-in-law, Betty, and loved to sit for hours, talking and playing cribbage with her.

Milt was diagnosed with ALS on January 7th, 2017. That day his famous hearty laugh disappeared, never to return. He did often express gratitude for the care he received from family, friends, and caregivers. Their love and attention enabled him to bear his condition.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clyde and Mildred; and his brother, Bob. He is survived by his wife, Katie, of Bothell, WA; his step-sons, Nelson and wife Aimee of Washington, MO, Jaime and wife Michele, of Bellevue, WA, and Eric and wife Christy, of Kirkland, WA; four grandchildren; sister-in-law Dorothy, of St. Charles, MO; nephew David and wife Mary Beth, of Wentzville, MO; niece Karen and husband Steve, of Defiance, MO; and nephew Bobby of St. Peters, MO, nephew Jared and wife Chelsea of Snohomish, WA, niece Ingrid of Lynnwood, WA, and many more beloved friends and family.

There will be a memorial service

at Gift of Grace Lutheran Church

2102 N 40th Street, Seattle, on July 6, starting at 6:30 pm. Private interment will be at 11:30 a.m. on July 5, at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, WA.

For more information check

https://bartonfuneral.com/2019/06/26/milton-charles-cissell/