William Howard Meissel Sr.

1922 - 2012

William Howard Meissel, Senior
Norfolk - Bill Meissel, the son of the late Howard Arens Meissel and Anne Augusta Graves Meissel died in Richmond on August 14, 2012. He was born on September 8, 1922 at Georgetown Hospital in Washington, DC., and the family settled in Norfolk, Virginia when he was 8.
Bill was musically gifted with a beautiful tenor voice and performed at many school functions as well as weddings, holiday celebrations, and parties; including one held for Duke and Duchess of Windsor. During his senior year at Maury High School he was chosen to go to New York and sing on Broadway. Many years of singing followed in church choirs and musical evenings at his Larchmont home as Bill continued to live music his entire life.
He studied architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and after serving in the Pacific Theater with the U.S. Navy during World War II, designed houses in Norfolk and White Stone, Virginia. One of his favorites was the house where he and his wife Nancy Jane Jones Meissel lived and raised their family. Bill and Nancy were married on October 15, 1949, and had three children: William Howard Meissel, Jr. (India), Leslie Spencer Meissel, and Nancy Anne Meissel Burns (Tom).
Bill worked for over 30 years at Mutual Federal Savings and Loan in Norfolk until his retirement in the 1980s. After retirement, Bill and Nancy spent many happy years traveling to Europe until he was left blind by glaucoma in 1997. He and Nancy remained in their home until her death in 2000.
Besides his children and grandchildren Austin MacKenzie Meissel, Emily Elizabeth Edmunds Meissel, and Ryan Travis Burns, Bill leaves behind many cousins, nieces, nephews, and his wife's sister and husband Betsy Mann Jones Nugent and Clayton Quinton Nugent.
The family would like to thank all who helped care for their father, in particular caregiver Millie Brown and the staff at Westport Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
A graveside service will be held at a later date at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the American Glaucoma Society or the Alzheimer's Association of Virginia.