John Stephen Bisha, technology entrepreneur, is fondly remembered for his generosity and his support of scholarship and the arts.
A longtime resident of Clarkston, Bisha adopted Vero Beach, Fla., as his home later in life and was certified as a master gardener by the University of Florida extension service.
Bisha died from complications of prostate cancer in the early morning of June 5. He was 90.
Born in Flint, he was the eldest of the seven children of George and Anna Bisha. He attended the University of Detroit and served in the US Air Force. His work as a staff sergeant in the Pacific command during the Korean conflict, supplying medical facilities all over the Pacific theater, was his start in business.
Bisha recognized the potential of technology early in his career. Following his military service, he worked in a variety of positions with pioneering component manufacturers, starting with Hughes Aircraft in southern California.
He eventually settled in the Detroit area and founded companies of his own, helping bring technology to the auto industry.
Through another of his ventures, he represented Philips Electronics and helped establish compact disc technology in specialty audio markets, such as jukebox and hifi.
Surviving are his wife, Hanne Nielsen, and his children, daughter Robin Bisha and son Christopher Bisha (wife Monica), step-daughters Rikki Ericsson and Suzanne Haynes (husband Matthew), grandchildren Mason and Hanne Haynes, Thatcher Dunsmore, and Lucy and Ian Bisha. His surviving siblings are Shirley Kozloski, Kathy Gaspar and Barbara Snyder.
There will be a memorial service for Bisha on Saturday, July 10, which would have been his 91st birthday. The memorial will be held at 11 a.m. at St. John Catholic Church, 404 N. Drayton St. in Davison, with a luncheon to follow. His remains will be cremated and interred both in Florida and in Michigan.
Memorials may be sent to the scholarship fund at John Carroll Catholic High School established in his name, 3402 Delaware Ave, Fort Pierce, FL 34947. 772-464-5200.