E. Arnold Bisbee, 94, of Wayne, a community leader, died Monday, Oct. 2, following a brief illness. Born in Minneapolis, Mr. Bisbee lived in Wayne since the early 1950s. He served as vice chairman and commissioner of the Kane County Regional Planning Commission, and director and president of Delnor Hospital. He was vice president and secretary of the St. Charles Public Library, where he was recently elected library trustee emeritus and a life member of the Tri-City Advisory Board of the Salvation Army. Mr. Bisbee served as director and vice president of the Wayne Community Association and president of the Dunham Woods Riding Club. In 1993, Mr. Bisbee was honored by the Wayne Community Association as Citizen of the Year. Early in his career, he was secretary and director of a family owned business, The Bisbee Linseed Co., based in Philadelphia. Following the sale of the company to Cargill Inc., Mr. Bisbee joined Cargill as a sales manager. In 1953, he bought the Stover Water Softener Co. in St. Charles and ran the company until its sale in 1967. Survivors include his wife, Ruth; a son, Edgar; daughters Patricia Bisbee Sweet and Pamela Bisbee Simonds; five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m., Oct. 21, at the Little Home Church by the Wayside, 32W128 Army Trail Rd., Wayne.
