55-year-old Stephanie Lynne Bissey of Kirksville, MO, passed away at home on January 11th
She was born on November 1, 1969, at the U.S. Army Hospital, Ft Belvoir, VA, to Trevor and Doris Mayo Bissey. Stephanie was loved by many around the world as the family moved frequently due to her father’s service in the Army. She attended school in Sausalito, CA, Marina, CA, and Heidelburg, Germany. She started high school in Monticello, Illinois, at Monticello High School. In 1985 the family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where Stephanie would graduate from Fort Zumwalt North High School in 1987. While moving first upset her, Stephanie later told her parents that moving to St. Louis was the best thing that had happened to her. After graduation, Stephanie moved to Kirksville, Missouri, to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Truman State University, formerly known as Northeast Missouri State University. As one of her Kirksville friends put it, “She came to Kirksville as a student at Truman, but she always worked—the Golden Spike, Bogies, DuKum, Sugar Creek Nursery—and the town fell in love with her.” She was a familiar and warm face at DuKum Inn Bar and Grille, having been a manager there from 1999-2021. More recently she could be found working at Claire’s Garden and Peckosh Landscaping. All were jobs where she found joy in her work and loved what she did.
Stephanie is survived by her parents; brother, Brian Bissey of Bloomington, IL; niece, Kelly Bissey, of St. Louis, MO; nephew, Sean Bissey of Bloomington, IL; uncle, Jerry Mayo of Clay City, IL; aunts, Carolyn Martin of Cisne, IL, and Alice Murry of Olney, IL; and several cousins, as well as her two beloved dogs, Cash and Chewy. Also surviving is Steve Knight, Stephanie’s special friend of Kirksville, MO.
She is preceded in death by both sets of grandparents, Russell and Evelyn Bissey; Casey & Leone Mayo; uncles, Don Mayo & Lee Bissey; aunt, Rita Stanley; cousins, Carey Deem, Larry Martin and Cody Mayo.
Stephanie was a captivating individual. To know her was to love her. She had a beaming smile that could light up the darkest of rooms. She was kind and generous, quick-witted and funny, friendly and warm. She never met a stranger and always had time to stop, catch up, and give an old friend a hug. She enriched every life she was a part of. She loved big and deep and made sure people knew how she felt about them. She never left a conversation without saying, “I love you.”
Stephanie is a member of Calvary Baptist Church, Monticello, IL.
A visitation is scheduled for 12:00 Noon on Saturday, January 18, 2025, followed by a funeral service at 2:00 PM at Frank and Bright Funeral Home, Flora, Illinois. Interment will be in Clay City Cemetery. A celebration of life will be held in Kirksville, MO, at a later date. To share a memory or condolence, visit: www.frankandbright.com
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