H. Mitchell Bliss, who spent nearly 17 years as a part of The Janesville Gazette newsroom, died Thursday, Aug. 26, in Janesville. He was 96.
Bliss — no relation to the Bliss family that owned the newspaper — was born Aug. 2, 1925, in Syracuse, N.Y., to Hubert D. and Julie (Wahl) Bliss. He graduated in 1943 from Wellsville High School, where he was editor of the school newspaper.
After high school, Bliss served in the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1943 to 1946. He was honorably discharged and went on to attend Alfred University in New York, where he earned a degree in economics and business.
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Bliss started his career at a newspaper in Jamestown, N.Y., where he spent five years as a reporter before leaving for Wisconsin to join The Gazette. He joined the Janesville newspaper in 1957 and served as a reporter until 1965, when he was named city editor.
In 1967, he left The Gazette and spent five years working in public relations for the State Bar of Wisconsin. After returning, Bliss was named news editor in 1973 and moved up to the newspaper’s top editor role in 1983. He remained in the position until his retirement in 1989. Bliss also wrote the Listening Post column for The Gazette, which he continued 15 years beyond his retirement.
Bliss and his wife, Patricia A. (Hyland) Bliss, married July 7, 1951, in Wellsville, N.Y. During their 62 years of marriage, they had a daughter, Dena, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 3, at Milton Lawns Memorial Park in Janesville.
