Edward W. Cissel ’43

Ed, a beloved teacher, coach, administrator, husband, father, and friend, died June 16, 2020, from COVID-19. He was 99. 

Born in Elizabeth, N.J., Ed prepped at Hotchkiss School. He followed his brother, John Cissel ’38, to Princeton and majored in economics. Ed played freshman baseball, ran cross-country, was assistant hockey manager, and dined at Cap and Gown. 

Ed left Princeton to join the Army in his junior year. He landed on Utah Beach on D-Day and after four years was a captain with the Field Artillery, earning a Bronze Star for meritorious service. He also served a year in the Korean War. 

While still in the Army, Ed married the love of his life, Jane DeBevoise (Smith ’44), in South Orange, N.J., and they quickly started their family. In 1945 Ed returned to Princeton, finished his degree, and soon turned his sights to independent education. He spent 16 years at the Pingry School in New Jersey, then moved to the John Burroughs School in St. Louis, Mo. Ed served as headmaster at JBS for 19 years, during which time both Jane and Ed devoted themselves to the activities and development of the school. 

Upon retirement Ed and Jane moved to Little Compton, R.I., immersing themselves in their new community. Ed was a trustee for the Little Compton Congregational Church, president of the Visiting Nurse Association, and a member of the Sakonnet Golf Club.  

Jane died in 2016. The couple lost son Edward W. Cissel Jr. in 1978. Ed is survived by four children, Sally, Mary and her husband, Paul, John and his wife, Peggy, and Charles; seven grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.