William Forbes Nissen
June 18, 2005

William Forbes Nissen of Quincy died peacefully on the afternoon of Saturday, June 18th, 2005 in the company of his sons and daughters, Douglas Forbes Nissen of Springfield, IL and William Richard Nissen of Bloomington, IL, Ginni Nissen Smith and her husband Fred of Austin, TX, Betsy Nissen and her husband Cap'n Jack Thompson of Fort Collins, Co, Robin Singer and her husband Doug of Jacksonville, FL and long time secretary and friend, Alice Waelder of Quincy. He is also survived by the mother of his children, Beverly Macbeth of Fort Collins, CO; grandchildren, Shea, Allison and Tyler Nissen, of Bloomington, IL; Mackenzie Nissen of Springfield, IL; Nikki and Nate Singer of Jacksonville, FL; a sister, Sally Gross and her husband Bill, their sons, Dan and Barry, and their families, all of Wisconsin; a step-daughter, Cheryl Newbrough and her husband Steve of Quincy, and a step-son, Richard Reinberg and his wife Val of Gettysburg, PA from his marriage to Patricia Nicloy. He is also survived by four step-grandchildren and last but not least, his numerous grand-dogs and grand-cats.

Forbes, as he was called by many who knew him, was born in Skokie, Illinois on May 31, a second generation American of Scottish and German ancestry. He served in the 746th Tank Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division, First Army, United States Army, during World War II, and fought at the Battle of the Bulge. Following military duty, he attended Drake University in Iowa as an undergraduate, and subsequently earned a law degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago in 1952. Soon thereafter, he became licensed as an Attorney at Law, and was a partner in the Chicago firm, Berns and Nissen until relocating to Quincy in 1955. He worked briefly for the Quincy firm, Hunter and Walden before starting his own firm, Law Offices of William Forbes Nissen, the name under which he practiced law continuously until immediately prior to his death.

For several decades he served as trustee for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and in 2002 was honored by the American Bar Association for 50 years of continuous membership. He was a long time member of the Republican Party and of the Elks Club, a lifetime member and former president of the Clan Forbes Society, and a lifelong, second generation, long suffering Chicago Cubs fan.

Bill Nissen was a proud man: proud of his family, proud of his heritage, proud of his work, and proud to have served his country. He was a friend to many, regardless of whether or not they agreed with him. He worked hard, and stood the ground where his heart settled, but was never too busy to stop to tell a joke. He loved the law, his country, a good cigar, a fine Scotch, and the art of discourse. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him, but will no doubt carry on in the next world to the sound of the bagpipes that stirred his soul, led by the Clan Forbes' motto, "Grace Me Guide".

A memorial service in celebration of his life will be held Tuesday at 2:00 pm in the Hansen Spear Funeral Home with Tony Cameron as Master of Ceremonies. In Lieu of flowers, the family asks that those who wish to contribute please give to the following: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or the Sammy Fund.

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