Obituaries

Michael Freeman Williams Bliss

Photo of Michael Freeman Williams Bliss
Michael Freeman Williams Bliss was born in Little Rock, Ark., May 16, 1957, and died unexpectedly on February 6, 2016. He was the son of Carl Warren Williams, Sr. and Elsie Faye (Weaver) Mears-Bailey. He was the adored dad to one much beloved son, Nash Freeman Bliss. Michael worked his entire career to serve others. After graduating from Hall High School in Little Rock where he was a member of the cross country track team, he attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and received his baccalaureate in psychology and American Sign Language from UA Little Rock. He earned an M.A. in Special Education: Orientation & Mobility from California State University in Los Angeles and completed course work in the doctoral program for Special Education at Vanderbilt University. He was the founder of Bliss Enterprises which specializes in speech recognition training, and he wrote Speech Recognition for the Health Professions (Prentice Hall, 2004). Working as a house parent at the Arkansas School for the Blind led him to become an Orientation and Mobility Specialist serving students in Ohio, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, and California. For the past decade he worked for the California Department of Blind Rehabilitation and for the Santa Clara County Office of Education. He had a deep commitment to student success and was an ASTM developer as well as a primary developer for the nation's first speech recognition college course. Michael is survived by his son, Nash, of Valley Springs, Calif.; his mother; stepfather, Richard Robert Bailey; brother, Carl W. Williams (Susan); sister, Leslie Karen Golden (Gary); two step-brothers, Cliff Mears and Ric Bailey (Lori); and two special cousins, Kelley Weaver and Kathy Weaver. He was pre-deceased by his father, step-father, Roger C. Mears, and step-sister, Vicki Mears Strickland. He was a favorite uncle to Blake Strickland, Sara Williams Freitag (Jeff), John Foster (Jill), Susanna Young (Brian), Clifton Mears (Yana Buklikova), Shanna Van Houten (Stuart), Adam Golden and Ryan Golden, as well as a host of great-nieces and nephews. Michael embraced traveling, photography, guitar, outdoor adventure, and more than anything, exploring the world with his son, Nash. Michael never shied away from work, never met a stranger, and he lived life with such passion that he legally changed his surname to Bliss. He is loved, and he loved deeply. Michael's body gave up long before the memories held so dearly by his family and many friends. A memorial service for Michael will be held at Ruebel Funeral Home, 6313 West Markham, Little Rock, Ark., on Saturday, February 13, 2016, at 12 noon. A reception will follow. Memorials may be made to Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church (4823 Woodlawn Drive, Little Rock, Ark. 72205) or to Wildwood Park for the Arts (20919 Denny Road, Little Rock, Ark. 72223). Arrangements by Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhomre.com.

Published February 10, 2016

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