1932
Robert
2011
Robert Harry Nyssen
April 24, 1932 — June 6, 2011
Bob's birthplace was St. Paul, Minnesotta. He was the first child of Carl Hubert Nyssen and Elizabeth Andert Nyssen. He grew up in Rushville, Indiana and graduated from St. Mary's Grade School, and two years at Rushville High School. The family moved to Tacoma, Washington. He finished high school at Stadium High School, excelling in the athletics of baseball, basketball, and football as a Varsity starter. He was a natural athlete in every other sport and competitive endeavor he ever attempted. Bob was offered full scholarships from several top universities, but severe injuries impeded his anticipated athletic career. He was offered a professional baseball contract, but declined. Instead, he and his sweetheart, Carole Ann Otto married on May 2, 1952, at St. Leo's Catholic Church, and together they challenged the world. Their union in Christ was for 52 years; a very eventful union having raised four fine daughters in their ancestral Roman Catholic Faith. Carole died in 2005.
Bob's first big career break was a field engineer territory in northern California in 1958 - Oakland North - a great territory with Behr Manning Corporation (manufacturers of coated abrasives and industrial and commercial tapes). A great job and the Bay area life was a bonus. This was a great training experience which led him to the legendary B.P. John Furniture Manufacturing Corporation of 900 employees, located on 15 waterfront acres on Macadam Avenue in Portland, Oregon. He worked his way up through the ranks to President from 1968 to 1974, at which time the Company moved into a new factory in Santa Ana, California after its acquisition by the giant conglomerate, Consolidated Foods Company. This was a heartbreaking experience but necessary given the circumstances wherein DEQ and OSHA rendered the old plant as obsolete. After commuting back and forth from California to Oregon, he resigned and began accepting consulting challenges. He later served as President of Blackwell North America, a local textbook distributing company which is the U.S. branch of B.H. Blackwell Ltd. of Oxford, England, and still headquartered in Portland, Oregon. But the book business was not for Bob. So, he continued on in a nomadic consulting career, interrupted in 1980 by a near fatal heart attack and by-pass surgery. Recovering quickly, an opportunity was offered to assist a new furniture factory in Taiwan in their start-up process. Bob recruited two ex-B.P. John compadres, the highly skilled Gimbel brothers, Reiny and Eddie, to experience a year-long fascinating challenge. Bob also served on several local boards of directors. That capped an eventful, fulfilling and, at times, highly stressful and professional career. Together with a fumble or two along the way, it was time to shift to a lower gear.
So, Bob and Carole retired early to their 14-acre Circle "N" Horse Ranch in Sherwood, Oregon. For several years, they owned and operated the ranch as a business with help from daughters and hired hands. Bob mended fences and attended to other chores, as needed. They had their home on the 14 acres. The property was all fenced, with a large barn containing 20 stalls, an indoor riding arena to include a large, fully padded horse surgery room with a hydraulic lift. It was a busy place with the vets and the post surgical equines to care for, including boarders and training their own mares and foals. They bred and ran thoroughbreds up and down the coast, and the girls had their horse shows. With the girls grown and the wet/cold weather taking its toll, they sold out and moved to the high and dry climate of Reno, Nevada.
Their move to Reno in 1986 was also for health reasons. Bob's plans was to start a small business there (to keep them out of the casinos). Instead, by a strange turn of fate, they took up an entirely new lifestyle joining the Legion of Mary, the largest evangelizing Catholic organization worldwide of 3 million members (all unpaid volunteers). It was exciting, challenging and fulfilling for Bob and Carole. They became proficient and soon were assigned to travel, training new recruits, conducting workshop and seminars. Bob published many articles and a couple of books on the subject. In 1991, Bob was interviewed by the famous Mother Angelica concerning the importance of this work of evangelization on the only Catholic television station of Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) located in Birmingham, Alabama. Bob and his wife worked as a team devoting 15 years to the Legion of Mary until Carole's health failed. They moved back to Portland, Oregon in 1995 as Carole's condition began to worsen. Even after Carole's death, Bob continued on with this work in Portland.
Bob jumped into the pro-life, anti-abortion war. Along with partner and surrogate daughter, Mrs. Vivian Brink, he brought revolutionary new techniques and methods to this apostolate. Over the last 3 years of his life, Bob commissioned two life-size statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her 40-week unborn infant Savior. Through this work, he founded Our Lady's Life Brigade wherein the work of evangelization in bringing the truth to misguided souls was about to unfold in New Orleans this past March 25th until this work proved to be too much for his cancer-stricken body. Yet, Bob's great faith and love for God was evident to all those around him, to include his doctors, who claimed that he was a walking miracle during these last five years of his life.
He is survived by his four daughters: Dr. Teri Nyssen of Vancouver, WA, Diana Marie Nyssen of Portland, OR, R.N. Mary Elizabeth Becker of Oregon City, OR, and Claire Gaulke of Gresham, OR, to include his seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren, his three brothers: Dick Nyssen of Salem, OR, Butch Nyssen of Tacoma, WA and Jim Nyssen of Sugar Land, TX. Bob is preceded in death by his brother, Bing Nyssen of Yakima, WA who died on June 13th, 2010.
A Rosary Service will be held at Holy Rosary Church, 375 NE Clackamas St., Portland, OR (503-235-3163) on Wednesday, June 15th, at 7:30 p.m. The Requiem Latin High Mass will also be at Holy Rosary Church on Thursday, June 16th, at 7:30 p.m., followed by a Reception in the Church's Sienna Hall. The Interment will be at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery on Friday, June 17th, at 3:00 p.m. Memorial donations to Birthright of Oregon, Inc., 1515 NE 41st Ave., Portland, Oregon 97232 are welcomed in memory of Bob.
Bob's first big career break was a field engineer territory in northern California in 1958 - Oakland North - a great territory with Behr Manning Corporation (manufacturers of coated abrasives and industrial and commercial tapes). A great job and the Bay area life was a bonus. This was a great training experience which led him to the legendary B.P. John Furniture Manufacturing Corporation of 900 employees, located on 15 waterfront acres on Macadam Avenue in Portland, Oregon. He worked his way up through the ranks to President from 1968 to 1974, at which time the Company moved into a new factory in Santa Ana, California after its acquisition by the giant conglomerate, Consolidated Foods Company. This was a heartbreaking experience but necessary given the circumstances wherein DEQ and OSHA rendered the old plant as obsolete. After commuting back and forth from California to Oregon, he resigned and began accepting consulting challenges. He later served as President of Blackwell North America, a local textbook distributing company which is the U.S. branch of B.H. Blackwell Ltd. of Oxford, England, and still headquartered in Portland, Oregon. But the book business was not for Bob. So, he continued on in a nomadic consulting career, interrupted in 1980 by a near fatal heart attack and by-pass surgery. Recovering quickly, an opportunity was offered to assist a new furniture factory in Taiwan in their start-up process. Bob recruited two ex-B.P. John compadres, the highly skilled Gimbel brothers, Reiny and Eddie, to experience a year-long fascinating challenge. Bob also served on several local boards of directors. That capped an eventful, fulfilling and, at times, highly stressful and professional career. Together with a fumble or two along the way, it was time to shift to a lower gear.
So, Bob and Carole retired early to their 14-acre Circle "N" Horse Ranch in Sherwood, Oregon. For several years, they owned and operated the ranch as a business with help from daughters and hired hands. Bob mended fences and attended to other chores, as needed. They had their home on the 14 acres. The property was all fenced, with a large barn containing 20 stalls, an indoor riding arena to include a large, fully padded horse surgery room with a hydraulic lift. It was a busy place with the vets and the post surgical equines to care for, including boarders and training their own mares and foals. They bred and ran thoroughbreds up and down the coast, and the girls had their horse shows. With the girls grown and the wet/cold weather taking its toll, they sold out and moved to the high and dry climate of Reno, Nevada.
Their move to Reno in 1986 was also for health reasons. Bob's plans was to start a small business there (to keep them out of the casinos). Instead, by a strange turn of fate, they took up an entirely new lifestyle joining the Legion of Mary, the largest evangelizing Catholic organization worldwide of 3 million members (all unpaid volunteers). It was exciting, challenging and fulfilling for Bob and Carole. They became proficient and soon were assigned to travel, training new recruits, conducting workshop and seminars. Bob published many articles and a couple of books on the subject. In 1991, Bob was interviewed by the famous Mother Angelica concerning the importance of this work of evangelization on the only Catholic television station of Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) located in Birmingham, Alabama. Bob and his wife worked as a team devoting 15 years to the Legion of Mary until Carole's health failed. They moved back to Portland, Oregon in 1995 as Carole's condition began to worsen. Even after Carole's death, Bob continued on with this work in Portland.
Bob jumped into the pro-life, anti-abortion war. Along with partner and surrogate daughter, Mrs. Vivian Brink, he brought revolutionary new techniques and methods to this apostolate. Over the last 3 years of his life, Bob commissioned two life-size statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her 40-week unborn infant Savior. Through this work, he founded Our Lady's Life Brigade wherein the work of evangelization in bringing the truth to misguided souls was about to unfold in New Orleans this past March 25th until this work proved to be too much for his cancer-stricken body. Yet, Bob's great faith and love for God was evident to all those around him, to include his doctors, who claimed that he was a walking miracle during these last five years of his life.
He is survived by his four daughters: Dr. Teri Nyssen of Vancouver, WA, Diana Marie Nyssen of Portland, OR, R.N. Mary Elizabeth Becker of Oregon City, OR, and Claire Gaulke of Gresham, OR, to include his seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren, his three brothers: Dick Nyssen of Salem, OR, Butch Nyssen of Tacoma, WA and Jim Nyssen of Sugar Land, TX. Bob is preceded in death by his brother, Bing Nyssen of Yakima, WA who died on June 13th, 2010.
A Rosary Service will be held at Holy Rosary Church, 375 NE Clackamas St., Portland, OR (503-235-3163) on Wednesday, June 15th, at 7:30 p.m. The Requiem Latin High Mass will also be at Holy Rosary Church on Thursday, June 16th, at 7:30 p.m., followed by a Reception in the Church's Sienna Hall. The Interment will be at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery on Friday, June 17th, at 3:00 p.m. Memorial donations to Birthright of Oregon, Inc., 1515 NE 41st Ave., Portland, Oregon 97232 are welcomed in memory of Bob.
Rosary and Requiem Mass
Holy Rosary Church
375 N.E. Clackamas
Portland
,
OR
US
97232
Wednesday, June 15, 2011, 7:30 PM
Cemetery
Mt. Calvary Cemetery
3333 SW Skyline Road
Portland
,
OR
US
Friday, June 17, 2011, 3:00 PM
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